Gods and Hunstmen
by Vanguard523
Summary: I considered myself to be many things: selfish, idiotic, introverted. But Prince of the Dead? Now that was a little different. (Not smut.)
1. The Meeting

"Get the fuck out, Darren!" My father yelled, his green eyes burning with anger as he threw a backpack with a few of my clothes in it at me. "Don't come back unless you're bringing me money!" He shouted, slamming the door behind him.

I held back a sob and picked up the bag, the heavy rain quickly soaking my black t-shirt, blue jeans and short dark green hair. My dad always had a temper, I knew that much. But how was I supposed to know that he'd get so angry over a stupid bent poster? All I did was put one small crease in it and he had picked me up by the collar of my shirt and literally threw me out of the house. Although considering I was only thirteen, it wasn't that much of an accomplishment.

I wiped a tear away from my light brown eyes and just walked the empty nighttime streets of Vale, hoping I could find someway to win my father's forgiveness. I contemplated trying to find my mom and trying to convince her to get back together with dad, but considering how they were divorced, I don't think that was an option. I also couldn't live with mom because she constantly brought home a new boyfriend and they'd have sex in the next room while I'd be trying to sleep.

I wandered past a store called 'From Dust 'Till Dawn' and headed inside, hoping I could make some money to buy my dad a whole new poster. I walked up to the counter and stood on my tiptoes so that I could look the shopkeeper in the eyes.

"U-umm… excuse me?" I asked the old man. "C-can you give me a j-j-job?" He merely took one look at me and shook his head sadly.

I felt tears well up in my eyes as I exited the store and headed off to a local restaurant where dad took me once for my birthday. Unfortunately, the woman who was the manager said I was too young to be a busboy or dishwasher. At that, I started crying and moved on, determined to make this up to my dad.

I continued to visit store after store, all of them turning me down due to my age. I decided to sleep in an alleyway for the night and try again tomorrow morning. I threw down my knapsack to what I thought was an empty spot, only for it to hit the leg of someone wearing a grey hoodie and matching sweatpants. He had a big bushy beard that obviously had not been trimmed in quite some time and several beer bottles around his spot, indicating that he was homeless.

"HEY!" He shouted at me. "What's the big idea!?"

"I-I'm s-sorry mister I-I was just…"

"Tryin' to steal my fuckin' spot, I know!" He then pulled out a switchblade from inside his hoodie. "Someone's gotta teach you a lesson, kid." He said with a menacing grin.

I immediately panicked and turned to run in the opposite direction, only for the man to grab me by the foot and drag me towards him face up. He held the knife up and stabbed downwards as my survival instincts kicked in and I rolled away from the blade. The man looked surprised at how fast I moved and with all my strength, I bit his wrist, making him cry out in agony and release the weapon. I grabbed it and held it like a two-handed sword, occasionally stabbing at the man to keep him at bay.

"I'll tear your head off for that!" He screamed, charging towards me. I closed both my eyes and thrust the knife forward and after hearing a sickening squelch, let go of it. I opened my eyes to see the man gasping for air as the weapon stuck out of his chest and he stumbled around, falling onto the concrete shortly after.

The sight of all the blood brought a nauseating feeling to my stomach and I promptly vomited next to the dying man, blood and rain staining the street. After I'd emptied the contents of my stomach, I turned back to the man.

 _What do I do!?_ I thought worriedly. _If I go to the police, they'll arrest me and no one else will help me!_

"Pathetic." A raspy voice whispered.

I looked around to search for the origin of the sound. "W-who's there?"

"I'd expected better of you, Diskaden." It came back.

I continued to search around until I found a pair of glowing red eyes akin to that of a creature of grimm with black smoke billowing out from underneath them staring at me from over the dead man's body. "W-who-who are you?"

"I had thought you would send me one sooner, but then again, as they say in this world: 'better late than never,' correct?"

 _This world?_ "Who are you?" I repeated with a little more confidence.

"Not the cleanest or quickest kill, but a kill nonetheless." The pair of eyes continued to ignore me as the shadow moved around the body, examining it.

"Who are you!?" I shouted.

The eyes glared back at me. "Now that's no way to talk to your father, is it?" The bodiless figure whispered.

I cocked an eyebrow. "B-but my dad is…"

"Not your true father. He and your so-called mother were your mere caretakers until this moment."

"What?" I said, genuinely confused.

"It was an agreement among all of us that all demigods not born from pure god blood would be banished from Olympus." It began. "Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Helen of Troy, Harmonia, Zethes, Orion and many others. **You** however, were born from my blood and your true mother's blood; Athena. Many of my fellow deities considered the spawn of our relationship to be heretical, and demanded that you be cast out. Even my brothers turned against me, so I had no choice but to banish you to a mortal realm. However, they failed to mention which realm you would remain in." The voice said in an almost smug tone. "This place known as Remnant is your home for now, and also allows for your power to grow much easier. The other mortals have an inborn shield known as aura, and although yours is no stronger, you have been given two abilities. The first: a gift from your mother, the goddess of armor, among other things; Aegis Skin."

"What?" I replied.

"If that knife had struck you in the throat, it merely would've pricked you rather than killed you." The voice replied.

My eyebrows shot up, astonished. I had always wondered why other kids' knees were always scraped up when mine never were and why thorn bushes hurt others more than myself.

"Your second power is my gift. I didn't give it to you from birth because I wanted to see if you were capable of taking another man's life, which you just proved." I felt my left hand burn up as if it was on fire and screamed in agony. The shadow ignored my outburst and spoke on. "With this, I give you not only my symbol, but also the ability to raise the dead to fight at your side." The voice said. After the pain had subsided, I looked at my hand and saw that a picture of a snarling three-headed black dog manifested itself on my palm, covering most of my hand and ending just short of my fingers.

"B-but-but why?" I asked, gazing at the illustration.

"You will become a huntsman, earn the people's trust, their hope, their hearts and minds. After that, you will slay a monster I will unleash upon this world and become leader of the entire planet. Your power will then rival that of a god's and then will destroy my brothers at my side."

"What-what about my parents?" I asked the shadow.

"They are not your true family, nor have they acted like it. They neglect you and your adopted father not only physically beat you into submission, but also threw you out of the house while your mother is the most well known whore in this area." He stated bluntly. " **I** however, have only been in your life for less than two minutes and given you incredible power. So it is up to you, Diskaden. Who do **you** think is your family?"

I opened my mouth to say that my adopted parents were, or so this shadow said, but it made a good point. Mom was never around when dad went berserk and started yelling and hitting me, and she had just treated me like some sort of animal, not even acknowledging my existence. This… thing that claimed to be my dad however, had just given me the power to raise the dead! I had never heard of any huntsman with such an ability, and I was going to be the first.

I felt a mischievous smirk grace my lips. "You are."

The eyes bobbed up and down, as if they were attached to a head that nodded. "Very good. Your mother has also requested that I give you this upon meeting you." My dad said as a large steel flail, about the size of a pumpkin with spikes appeared on the ground in front of me. I grabbed the metal handle and tried to lift it, but even with both hands, it proved difficult.

"Get stronger, son. Grow your power and soon, we will become the ultimate gods." The shadow said as it started to dissipate.

"Wait!" I called, reaching out with my marked hand. The black smoke returned. "Two things: why do you call me that name and what is your name?" I asked.

My father's red eyes lit up as a low chuckle erupted across the air. "I call you Diskaden because in a very old language from another realm, it translates to who you are: my son."

"And what's your real name?" I asked.

"Hades. King of the dead." My father replied.


	2. Growth Through Power

I let loose a savage roar as the weapon my mother had given me flew sideways at an amazing speed toward the attacker, almost breaking the shield arm he used to block the attack. My opponent's shield flew outwards, leaving his entire chest exposed and with the pistol I had designed myself upon entering Signal academy, fired four rounds at him, all shots hitting their marks and successfully depleting his aura below the designated mark.

"Match!" The official called. I placed Razrushitel's spiked end on the hook on my belt on the right side and the metal handle in the other sheath at my left while I placed Cerberus into it's holster strapped to my right thigh. I took off my black-painted great helm with my chain-armored hands and stared disapprovingly at my opponent who was trying to catch his breath on the sparring floor of Signal Academy.

"You'll never survive." I stated simply as I walked to the locker rooms, my pitch-black metal greaves, chest plate and bracers clanking as I moved.

"Why do they even let kids like him into schools such as this?" The king of the dead himself asked as he hovered next to me.

I let out a muffled chuckle at my father's remark as I walked, remembering that I was the only one that could see him when he chose to appear, due to the fact that I bore his emblem. I walked until I was in the locker room and removed my heavy armor and placed it and Razrushitel inside. I had always kept Cerberus with me because I was always suspicious of other students I had aggravated in the past. During my three years at Signal, everyone hated me and I hated them. A few fights had broken out and I had always come out on top despite the fact that I was usually outnumbered five to one. Although, being a demigod most likely had something to do with it.

"Other parents place their sons and daughters in huntsmen academies because it makes them feel kind."

"What is so kind about sending your own blood to their death?" Dad inquired in his usual raspy whisper.

"My thoughts exactly." I replied, closing my locker door and heading up to the observation section of the training floor. Today was combat assessment day, and the professors were evaluating how much we had improved upon first entering the academy. The academic portion was two days ago and although I hated it, I studied as much as possible and was more than prepared for the written exam. The rest of the fights were fairly uneventful, although one in particular caught my eye. A blonde girl who became enraged whenever she had sustained a certain amount of damage had almost literally beaten her opponent to a pulp with her shotgun gauntlets.

"A most interesting semblance." Dad stated, still hovering at my side. I ignored him and continued to watch the fights with limited interest.

After everyone had finished their battles, we all sat in the benches in the observation area, everyone else sitting as far away from me as possible. Professor Branwen stood in the middle of the platform and took a swig of whatever was in that flask of his before speaking.

"You've all made progress, but some more than others. Me and the other professors will have you graded tonight and the results will be mailed to your address as soon as possible. Do whatever you want until then." He left the area and we all filed out of the building. A student bumped into me and I glared at him until his eyes fell to the floor. I then made my way to the locker room and packed up my equipment in a duffle bag before heading back to the apartment I called home. After my adopted piece-of-shit dad kicked me out and I met my true father, I managed to find a job at a shifty local restaurant that paid less than minimum wage, working as a dishwasher and putting myself through school. There was no time in my life for friends or fun and I wanted neither as a much greater destiny awaited me after I would hopefully be accepted into Beacon Academy. Explaining the prospect of professors that selectively chose students to be enrolled in Beacon to dad was less than easy. I found out that day that despite the fact he was a god, he didn't know everything about this world, it's politics, or why people fought the way they did. In a way though, it helped me study as I tutored him on the history of Remnant.

I reached into my jeans pocket, pulled out the keys to my apartment and unlocked the door while someone tapped me on the shoulder. Right off the bat, I knew who it was. After moving in, a family across from me immediately took an interest in me. At first, they felt sad that a kid as young as me was living on his own, but as time went on, they ignored me just like everyone else. Except of course, for the family's now sixteen-year-old daughter who had a crush on me since I had moved in. She was the typical over-hormonal teenage girl who was hoping to get laid with the nearest guy and unfortunately for me, I was directly in her crosshairs. She had somehow obtained my scroll number and had continued to send flirty texts and even went so far one time as to knock on my door wearing a set of lingerie claiming that she had lost her keys and wanted to spend the night at my place. I slammed the door in her face and went about my regular business, focusing on studying and one day, becoming the son my father wanted. The idea of a relationship had always confused me anyways; you spend most of your life having your heart broken by multiple partners and even if you do find that perfect someone, there's no guarantee that it would work out. Arguments, wardrobe regulations, issues about how to discipline children; all factors that would undoubtedly end the partnership.

I didn't even bother to turn around as I walked into my apartment and closed the door, but a foot in the way prevented it. I sighed, dropped my bag and turned to face Christina, the blonde haired, orange-eyed girl from across the hall wearing a red tank top and brown sweatpants.

"What?" I asked frustrated.

"H-hi Darren. I was wondering how your exam went." She shyly asked.

"Fine. Take your foot out of the doorway." I said.

"O-okay." She said resignedly, retracting her lower appendage. I closed the door and locked it, hoping to avoid any more distractions. I phoned my boss and asked if anyone had called in sick, which was much more common than I thought. Luckily, there was an open shift and I rushed towards the more broken down side of Vale, hoping to scrape together as much money as I could, despite the fact that the government paid for secondary school.

Luckily, the remainder of the day went by relatively quickly and I once I got home and checked my mail, noticed an envelope with Signal Academy's return address written on it. After entering my apartment, I opened it up and just as I thought, I passed with flying colors on both portions of the exam. Inside was another letter stating that I had been accepted into Beacon and would start on September first. I grinned as my father's shadow form appeared next to me.

"Excellent job, Diskaden. This is the next step in the destruction of my brothers." He declared approvingly.

"Thank you, father. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"Actually, you could've. You are a demigod, my son. No one will be able to stand in your path once your power has climaxed."

I nodded in agreement. It seemed that with age, the semblance dad bestowed upon me grew stronger. When I first used it, I was only able to summon a single 'bone warrior', but the next year, I was able to summon three, then six and right now, was up to eight. Each of these skeletons had a very limited amount of aura and although they were incredibly fragile, they were very agile and their attacking strength rivalled that of some of my fellow students. One even managed to chop down a tree with a single slice of its sword. I had no control over what weapons they carried, only the ability to telepathically order them to do whatever I wished.

I spent the rest of the summer working at the restaurant until the end of August, where I quit. At first, my boss wouldn't let me until I removed Cerberus from its holster and aimed it at his head while I walked out the door.

"Don't think for a minute that I'll forget this you little bastard!" He shouted at me.

I scoffed in response and made arrangements to leave my apartment for the next tenant. I cleaned up a little bit, talked to my landlord about leaving and packed my duffle bag with my equipment, deciding to buy any other clothes once I got to Beacon. I put on a black t-shirt and a pair of blue denim jeans before heading down to the airship docks on the first of September to begin my training as a huntsman.

The airship ride was fairly quiet until a girl started shouting something about being proud of her sister. I had just gotten to sleep and lazily opened my eyes to see the girl I recognized from Signal embracing a younger girl clad in a red and black combat skirt.

"She's far too young." I mumbled. "She'll die as soon as the first beowolf catches sight of her."

"Another warrior for your ranks then." My father pointed out. I half-smirked and chuckled as the holographic image shifted from the news to Professor Glynda Goodwitch stating how we were privileged to be selected to attend Beacon.

 _You could've chosen anyone else besides us, so you recognize the skills we possess._ I thought as Beacon came into view. I decided to wait until we docked before checking out the grounds.

As I walked through the gardens to kill time until the headmaster's speech, I heard very quiet footsteps behind me. Whenever I stopped, they stopped, when I moved, they moved. I continued walking until I rounded a corner and unsheathed Cerberus, shifting it into its knife form, the barrel of the weapon snapping upright, forming a four-inch serrated blade while also keeping the any rounds in the chamber or magazine perfectly intact. As I waited, the footsteps got closer and I rushed around the corner, delivered a left hook to my stalker's stomach, head butted them before spinning whomever it was around and placed Cerberus on their throat.

"Why are you following me?" I demanded.

"J-just trying to make friends!" A pitiful voice answered.

"Friends can be enemies as well." I stated.

"N-no! I'm not an enemy! I just don't know anyone here!" They replied. I shoved the person away and shifted Cerberus back into handgun form before holstering it again.

I took in my stalker and realized that it was a guy my age, with short black hair, grey eyes wearing a blue hoodie, blue t-shirt and blue jeans. He rubbed his throat where Cerberus had been just a moment ago before looking back at me. "S-sorry about following you around, I just really want to make friends."

"Well you picked the wrong person to try, buddy." I stated. "I like to keep everyone as far away from me as possible." I left him there before heading over to the amphitheatre to hear Professor Ozpin's speech.

After the plans were set for initiation to begin tomorrow morning, I headed to the ballroom and decided to rest until it was time to prove to the professors what I was capable of.

After rolling out a sleeping bag that had been provided by the school, I put on a pair of pyjama pants but decided to go shirtless due to the significant amount of heat. I took in my surroundings and on the other side of the room, noticed a few girls look at me, blush profusely, and look away. The reason why was obvious; I was quite muscular and high for someone of my age, standing tall at six foot five.

When dad had taken me in as his son, I spent every waking moment when I wasn't working or studying at the gym, getting stronger and stronger for the past four years. Every time pain resonated within my body and it wanted to give in, I reminded myself as to why I was doing this. To become ruler of Remnant and later, a god. I didn't have a six-pack, as I still had too much stomach fat, but I was certainly getting there. My arms, chest, back and legs were well toned and while other guys may have had more defined muscles, I was confident I was the strongest among the entire population of the school.

I got a good night's rest and headed down to the cafeteria for some breakfast before I got to the locker room and began to put on my armor.

"Diskaden." Dad called my name. I turned right to see him floating and pointing a cloaked finger towards Pyrrha Nikos, the invincible girl. "She would be a most useful warrior for your forces, don't you agree?"

I nodded. "Should I kill her during initiation?" I whispered.

"No… she is far too alert to be assassinated and the Professors will be watching. Once you are ruler of Remnant, find a way to have her executed. But until then, make sure she knows you are her ally." He said as the black smoke that marked his presence dissipated and he returned to the underworld.

I contemplated his words as I put on my greaves, gloves, chest plate, helmet and flail before heading over to Beacon cliff, where I took my position on one of the pads and waited for my fellow students to join me. During the wait, Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch gave me quizzical looks, but I ignored them and kept my arms crossed. When everyone had arrived, Ozpin gave a speech about the assignment of teammates and something about working together. I smirked when he mentioned making eye contact as the helmet that protected my head only offered two horizontal slits for my eyes, making finding a partner much more difficult for others and giving me the perfect choice.

I was flung into the air and with the combined weight of my armor and my own muscle, was plummeting towards the ground at the speed of a meteor. I went spread eagle and aimed towards a line of trees, hoping that as I rammed through them, they would slow my descent before I hit the ground.

The result was less than pleasurable though. I went directly through trees one through six and on the seventh, bounced off it and fell to the ground, leaving a decent sized crater in the land. _If only my mother had given me wings._ I thought as I got up and began walking to the forest temple where I would then wait for a partner. My armor clanked as I moved and I heard rustling in the bushes to my left. I smirked and lifted Razrushitel out of its sheath as two beowolves sprung out of the undergrowth. I began swinging the flail, building up speed as one of the wolves sprinted towards me and jumped. I hit the beast in the jaw, almost certainly breaking its skull, but waited until it came back down before I smashed the massive weapon on the white bone that protected its brain. The head of the monster more or less exploded as bits of bone, flesh and brain flew everywhere and its companion charged at me in an effort to avenge its fallen comrade. I swung again, this time in a horizontal angle and struck the beowolf in the ribs, sending it flying towards a tree, breaking a few bones. I walked over to where it whined helplessly in pain and pulled out Cerberus, put a bullet in the creature's head and holstered my weapons before continuing on.

After hearing some gunfire and shouting, I walked past a clearing where I saw the guy I had encountered in the gardens attempting to fight off a dozen creeps with a pair of knives. I chuckled to myself and ignored him, but dad appeared in front of me.

"The road to becoming a leader is long and harsh, but becomes easier as you make good choices. You might as well start making an impression now." He said before disappearing once again.

I sighed out of frustration, kneeled to the ground and placed my left palm on the land before whispering the phrase I used to activate my semblance. "Warriors of Remnant, by my right as Prince of Death, I command you to rise up and fight once more." Within a second, eight skeletons rose from the ground, weapons ranging from a basic sword and shield to an assault rifle to what looked to be a combination of an axe and a rifle.

 _Kill all creatures of grimm in that clearing._ I thought as I pointed to where the guy whose name I couldn't remember fought. My followers nodded obediently and sprinted to clear out the grimm. I watched as they swiftly cut down the creatures, only one of the skeletons breaking down into bones after it had been bitten by a creep.

 _Your services are no longer required. Rest for now._ I thought and the remaining seven skeletons swiftly descended into the planet's ground.

I emerged from the cover of the forest and approached the guy who was looking around, extremely panicked. "Wh-what were those things?" He asked.

"They were bone warriors. It's part of my semblance." I calmly explained. "Do you have a partner yet?" I asked, to which he shook his head. "Then I guess that's me. Darren Falsteen. And your name is?"

He sheathed both knives and tried to slow his breathing. "N-N-Nick. Nick Parsons."

"Well then Nick, let's get to the forest temple and try not to get killed along the way huh?" I said with as much humor as I could muster.

"Y-yeah." He said, still nervous. I sighed to myself. _This is going be a long four years._

After a few more encounters with the creatures of grimm, which I dealt with practically by myself, we finally got to the forest temple where three relics remained, two white pawns and a black knight.

"Which one should we pick?" Nick asked me.

"I kind of feel like the knight best suites our partnership, wouldn't you agree?" I asked, gesturing to my pitch-black armor. I might not have lived by the knight's code, but I certainly looked like one.

"Yeah, sure." He said quickly, picking up the relic and stuffing it in his jeans pocket. "Now let's get out of here."

"We should take it slow or risk getting mauled." I stated. Nick opened his mouth to object but I shot him a glare and he reluctantly nodded. Truth be told though, I just wanted something to kill before I accidentally murdered my partner.

I got my wish soon enough as four ursai lumbered out of the woods to greet us. I smirked, happy to grant them all a quick death and began swinging my flail as two of them charged towards me and the other two for my partner. I dispatched the first with a brutal downward swing of Razrushitel while the second took advantage of my focus on its compatriot and hit me with a massive paw, sending me flying into a nearby tree. My aura took some of the hit and my armor took the rest, leaving me completely unharmed. It charged at me and I killed it by emptying Cerberus's magazine into the beast's head. Looking over at Nick, I noticed he had already killed one of the ursai, but the second had batted him away and now towered over him. I sprinted over to my partner and struck the monster in the rib cage, breaking more than a few bones with a loud _crunch_ and leaving it unable to move on the ground.

I helped Nick up with a gloved hand, reloaded Cerberus and offered the gun to him. "The satisfaction's yours if you want it." I said, gesturing over to the ursa who was trying to get up off the ground. Nick quickly shook his head and I put three bullets into its skull.

After just two more similar encounters, we returned to Beacon cliff and handed our relic to Professor Goodwitch, who then nodded and told us to go to the amphitheatre for team assignment.

When we got there, Nick and myself stood beside two girls, one of them fairly short with light brown hair tied up in pigtails and light yellow eyes while the other was of normal height, had short straight purple hair and blue eyes.

"Hi!" The yellow-eyed girl exclaimed. "You guys must be the rest of our team. I'm Mary and she's Drusilla." She was dressed in a green tank top and orange long shorts that ended just past her knees with hard leather shoulder guards, vambraces and shin guards for preotection, as well as a bow slung across her back with a quiver of arrows on her right hip. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that emblazoned over her heart was a human skull with what looked to be waves emanating out from it.

"I'm Di-Darren and this is Nick. Is that your symbol?" I asked, gesturing to the odd icon.

She proudly smiled and nodded. "My semblance is kind of like a mind-mess up thing. Basically what it boils down to is I'm able to mentally manipulate a creature of grimm to cause it to attack its friends or kill it outright."

"Hmm." I grunted, intrigued. "Ever tried controlling one?"

She shook her head. "I'm not that far along in practicing with it yet. I'm sure I'll be able to one day though."

"Th-that's pretty cool." Nick stated nervously as he stood beside me.

"Dree! Meet our teammates! Stop being so quiet." Marie said to the other girl who wore a light black, almost grey but not quite, long-sleeved shirt and blue denim jeans with a sword in a sheath at her left hip. Latched onto her left arm was a large, metal gauntlet with a small depiction of Remnant with detailed cracks in it and covered her entire forearm and hand but her other arm and hand was protected by nothing other than her shirt. For armor, she had a set of thin metal shin guards and a breastplate. The girl shook her head as if in some stupor and turned towards us with a warm smile.

"I'm sorry, I just must've spaced out. Name's Drusilla, weird name I know, but just call me Dree." She then extended her hand towards Nick and me. "And you guys are?"

"Nick." He said, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you Nick." She said with another smile. Her gaze met the two slits in my helmet and the expression of happiness disappeared on her face. "Who are you?"

I removed the black armor, tucked it under my left arm and with a forced smile, shook her hand. "Darren."

"Okay, well, it looks like we're teammates." Professor Ozpin then finished announcing the leader of the team ahead of us and we stepped up to the stage, hands behind our backs and my helmet removed with Drusilla on the far right, myself next to her, then Marie and Nick.

"Drusilla Benton, Marien Robins, Darren Falsteen, Nick Parsons. The four of you retrieved the black knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team Diamond. Led by…" I waited with a small smirk on my face. "Drusilla Benton."

I let out a quiet sigh. _Dad is_ _ **not**_ _going to be happy about this._


	3. Words on Deaf Ears

Just as I had expected, dad was… less than pleased at the fact that I wasn't team leader.

"It's just dictating who does what on the battlefield, nothing more." I had argued.

"No!" He thundered. "It's more than that! Becoming a leader of three would've been the first stepping-stone on the road to total supremacy." He let out a sigh, making the very air shake in fear. The two red eyes glared at me. "If you are not team leader, then make yourself a good teammate at the least." He said in a disappointed tone before vanishing back to the underworld.

"H-hey, Darren." My partner nudged my elbow with his own as we sat in Dr. Oobleck's history class.

My posture instantly shifted from tired and lazy to prepared and perceptive as I replayed the conversation between the king of the dead and myself. "What is it Nick?" I demanded.

"No-noth-nothing." He stuttered out. "J-just wanted t-to make sure you were still awake." He said with a nervous chuckle.

I slowly turned my head towards him as the Doctor talked. "I'm always awake." I replied."

"Even when you're sleeping?" Marie interjected with a smirk.

I nodded. "Yes. You never know when someone might press a knife to your throat." I turned my attention back to Oobleck's lesson and continued to jot down any useful information.

The two weeks that we had been a team had gone by incredibly slowly. I had found out the first night that the four of us slept in our dorm that Drusilla snored, Nick tossed and turned in his sleep while Marie got up at random intervals during the night to check her scroll for messages. Multiple other girls from other teams had also tried to ask me out and I denied all of them, much more focused on getting through Beacon with my sanity intact. Thankfully though, my partner was willing to do whatever I asked of him and never asked for anything in return.

The dismissal bell rang and I packed up my books and attempted to leave, but a hand on my chest stopped me.

"So, Darren. We're going to go to downtown Vale this weekend, you want to join us?" My team leader asked.

"No, I'm studying." I replied, walking past her.

"What about when you're done studying?" Marie called.

"Training!" I shouted, frustrated. _Why the fuck can't they just learn to leave me alone?_ I thought, making my way to the cafeteria for lunch.

I grabbed an empty table and my teammates soon found me and surrounded me, talking amongst themselves.

Their talk was interrupted when a cry of pain erupted from a rabbit faunus having her ears pulled by a larger student. Marie and Drusilla glared disapprovingly at the display while Nick picked at his midday meal.

The yellow-eyed archer shook her head. "Disgusting. I can't believe Ozpin lets shit like that happen on school grounds."

Drusilla nodded in agreement. "Think we should kick his ass?"

"M-maybe." Nick shyly added.

"No." All eyes were on me at my response, the girls slack-jawed while Nick continued to avoid my gaze. I took a drink of water before responding. "Pain makes us resilient. He's doing her a favor." I explained.

"D-Darren… how can you say that? He's not making her stronger at all! He's just hurting her." Marie objected.

"That's what it might look like at first glance, but she's a faunus and not a lot of people like them. She's going to deal with people who hate her for who she is later in life and while I have nothing against the race, others kill them just for the hell of it." I grimly explained.

"That's not right though." Drusilla protested. "If someone is doing something wrong, it should be up to others to stop it."

"It may not be right, Dree. But the world is a harsh place and there's nothing anyone can do to change that."

The girls reluctantly gave in to rational thought and dropped the argument as the abuse continued. "Well said, son. You truly do have the blood of a ruler within you." Dad said.

The ghost of a smirk graced my lips and I returned to eating before I was called to Professor Ozpin's office.

I leaned back against the elevator car as it ascended to the top floor. Once the doors opened, I was greeted by the sight of the headmaster wearing his usual green scarf, green vest and black shirt sitting behind his desk, a coffee cup to the side and cane leaning against the glass window with his elbows on the table, fingers interlaced together.

"Mr. Falsteen. Please, take a seat." He said, gesturing to the empty chair. I complied and waited for him to begin. "Do you have an idea as to why I've called you in here?"

I shook my head. "None whatsoever, Professor."

The man took a drink from his mug before speaking again. "Your behaviour, Darren."

"I beg your pardon?" I asked. _I haven't beaten the shit out of anyone, or put anyone in the infirmary._

"Your attitude towards your partner; Mr. Parsons has been… unusual."

"How so?"

He chuckled humourlessly. "Well for starters, in the Emerald Forest, you offered him your weapon and said and I quote; 'The satisfaction is yours if you want it'. Why did you say that?" Ozpin inquired.

I shrugged. "Simple. Once someone harms you, your first thought is to exact vengeance and I gave him that opportunity."

"But he denied it."

"Yes. I have no idea why though." I pondered.

"This is also simple. I believe that it is because Mr. Parsons has a kinder, less confrontational attitude whereas you lash out at anyone and anything that comes near you." The Professor explained.

I let out a sarcastic laugh as I caught the deeper meaning behind the conversation. "So that's why you brought me in here. To explain why I wasn't made team leader, right?"

The headmaster's expression remained neutral. "Mr. Falsteen, so long as you continue on this path of treating your partner as your personal servant, I promise you that one day, he will exact vengeance and when that day comes, you will not be prepared for it." He stated.

I shook my head and laughed in his face again. "Okay are we done here? I've got a lot of studying to do."

Ozpin nodded back at me and I headed back to the elevator. "How is he the headmaster?" Dad asked.

I shrugged as I looked into the black smoke and red eyes that hovered next to me. "I honestly don't know. Probably just killed the old one and took his place."

"Hmm. Sounds like something a person would do to attain a position of power." He replied. "But that was quite the odd conversation."

I chuckled again. "Yeah, the old bastard just likes to play mind games. Thinks that just because he's headmaster that it makes him a god."

"God-like." Dad corrected me.

"Right, god-like. His power probably doesn't even come close to rivalling yours."

"Actually Diskaden, I would be willing to wager that **your** abilities are on par with his." I thought about that as I walked back to the dorm, how Ozpin and me are equal in strength and intelligence.

I opened the door and the only one there was Nick dressed in his Beacon academy uniform, reading a comic book on his bed. I cracked open a textbook and sat at my desk, but a thought sprang to mind.

"Hey Nick?" I called, eyes remaining on the words in my book.

"Y-yeah?"

"You think I've been mean to you?"

I heard him scoff. "Naw, are you kidding me, you-you're my friend!" He replied. "Friends aren't mean to each other!"

"Hmm. Glad that's settled." I said, writing down a few more notes.

I had finished studying and after having to go through the process of telling my teammates for the thirtieth time that I had no intentions on going to Vale, I picked up my gym bag and headed down to the weight room for my daily workout.

Today was Friday, which meant biceps and triceps would be the main focus of today's routine. I placed the proper amount of weight on the preacher curl bar and on my fourth set, began to get some odd stares from the other users of the facility.

"He's gotta being cheating." One guy mumbled.

"Yeah, there's no **way** anyone can get as strong as he can with natural muscle. The weights must be made of foam." His companion replied back. I set down the bar on the rack and got up from the seat.

"Try it yourself." I said with a smirk.

The guy scoffed and shot a doubtful look at his friend, who then crossed his arms and waited for the other to begin. What happened next was as expected; the kid sat down, tried to pick up the bar and when he finally did, immediately dropped it due to the amount of weight.

His friend helped him pick up the bar and put it back on the stand as I continued to smirk. "See, a hundred and fifty pounds is a lot of weight for such a little guy. Try ten next time." I said with a chuckle.

He grumbled something I couldn't hear and I returned to my exercise before being interrupted yet again by another observer. I put down the bar again and added on another twenty-five pounds to each side, totalling two hundred.

"Not bad." Said a feminine voice. " But my record's two-fifty." I looked to my left to see a blonde girl with her hair tied up in a messy ponytail and lilac eyes wearing a pair of black short-shorts and a bright yellow t-shirt.

"Bull shit." I declared. "If you can lift this, I'll give you ten lien."

She shrugged. "Okay, I'm not one to back down from a challenge. Twenty reps?"

"With proper form." I added with a nod.

Much to my surprise, the girl lifted the bar off the stand and was actually performing the feat. Her triceps never left the pad, her arms went all the way down before going back up and as if to add insult to injury, she performed five more repetitions than I had asked for before putting down the bar. She got up from the seat with a shit-eating grin and held out her hand palm-up.

"Must be adrenaline." I mumbled as I pulled out my wallet from my shorts and gave her a ten-lien note.

"Pleasure doing business with you." She said with another grin before walking off. Being shown up helped fuel the rest of my workout as I blitzed through every arm exercise I could think of, the tendons in my muscles nearing their tearing point by the time I was finished.

After hitting the showers and changing into some clean clothes, I headed back to the dorm for a nap, only to be woken up when my teammates barged through the door, talking unnecessarily loud.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I yelled at them, decimating any further conversation. "Maybe you guys should try this new fucking thing called knocking." I stated. "It's where you lightly tap on the door and see if anyone's trying to deny you entrance to somewhere."

Drusilla sighed while Nick cowered behind Marie. "Sorry Darren, we didn't realize you were asleep."

"Almost." I growled at her, returning to my bed.

As I closed my eyes, I could hear some footsteps quickly come in, then go out, probably my partner's. Another set of feet followed suit.

"You comin' for dinner?" Marie asked.

"I'll have something to eat later, now LEAVE!" I shouted again. The door slammed closed and I sighed.

"You will have to deal with them for four years, Diskaden." Dad said.

"It's just a matter of getting them to bend to **my** rules, dad." I replied.

He chuckled in his deep, raspy voice and it echoed throughout the room. "My son, you will most definitely be the ruler this world needs."


	4. Boiling Point

Another two weeks crept by agonizingly slowly as my teammates continued to get on my nerves. After a shower, Marie would never bother to take her shampoo or body soaps out of the bathroom, resulting in more than one incident in which I would go through a day smelling like daisies and sunflowers.

Drusilla wanted to have team meetings, but I continued to object to the idea as whenever we were outside of classes fighting grimm, we functioned perfectly. Her constant concern over my behaviour was getting to be a large thorn in my side.

Nick however, was the only one who obeyed my every command, not questioning anything I did, not bothering to invite me to social gatherings and not offering his help on anything I was doing. If I needed help though, I would ask him and he would jump at the opportunity.

Until one day when we had been assigned to study the structural build of a beowolf and how they attacked the way they did. The task was simple: immobilize a beowolf and take several pictures of the body for research afterwards. Each team would then give a detailed description of their theory as to how a wolf-grimm's bones moved.

Myself and the rest of team Diamond lay in waiting for a beowolf to come by in the emerald forest, hidden by the underbrush.

As I leaned up against a tree and checked Cerberus for any debris in the barrel and that the bullets were aligned properly, Drusilla crouched and waited for any passing grimm while Nick sat fidgeting nervously beside me and Marie tested the string on her bow.

"Any sign of beowolves yet?" I asked, placing a full magazine in my high-caliber handgun.

Our team leader shook her head. "Nope, not yet."

I heaved a groan of frustration and stood. "Fuck this, we won't get anywhere by sitting around. I'm going hunting. Nick, you're with me." I declared.

"N-no."

I slowly turned around to face my partner. "Nick… you're with me. Let's go." I demanded.

He scowled back and shook his head. "We just have to be patient, Darren."

I scoffed and threw my hands up in resignation. "Okay, have fun dying of boredom." I said, walking through the thick brush in search of any enemies.

Once out of hearing range, I summoned four bone warriors and made them form a diamond formation around me, two on either side, one in the front and one covering the rear. As I moved through the trees and bushes, my armor clanked loudly and the skeleton's bones rattled with every step. The amount of noise apparently drew the attention of three ursai that apparently were looking for a midday snack. I telepathically ordered two skeletons to attack each bear-grimm, leaving the third for myself. I unsheathed Razrushitel and gestured for the monstrosity to move forward.

It charged and with a roar, threw a giant paw sideways. I jumped back from the attack and bashed the creature's shoulder with the spiked end of my flail, most likely shattering the joint as it tried to get up but favoured the other limb. With another swing, I destroyed its other paw at the elbow, causing it to fall forward, its skull a mere foot away from me as I pulled out Cerberus and double tapped its head, causing a combination of blood, bone armor and brain matter to fly into the nearby brush.

I looked up to see that two skeletons had fallen and the other two were fighting a weakened ursa with a greatsword and a trident.

The one that had defeated its other two opponents charged at me, knocking down trees, roaring as it neared my location. I attempted to anticipate where it would hit, only to be taken for a fool as it swung sideways, which I then attempted to jump back from, only to have a massive paw crush me from above.

It was a struggle of pure strength as both of us pushed against one another, the beast's full body weight pushing down as I attempted to shove the appendage off my body. Slowly, I gained height and once the paw was a foot off my body, I grabbed Cerberus, which I had let go of upon the collision, shifted the weapon into knife form and stabbed into the paw, causing blood to flow onto my armor and the creature to reel back. After retrieving Razrushitel, I repeatedly smashed the beast's head in until nothing remained but a bloody black carcass. Once I had finished my opponent, the other two bone warriors killed their attacker and we continued forth, searching for the wolf-grimm, only to find none.

I reluctantly returned to the post where my team was stationed and none to my surprise, they were still seated, attempting to hunt for beowolves.

Marie looked at me and scoffed. "Looks like someone had a fun encounter." She said, pointing a thumb at me.

"Least I wasn't seating on my ass the whole time." I quipped back. After a whole hour of doing nothing, a beowolf finally emerged and entered the clearing that we were observing.

I smirked underneath my helmet and looked to my team leader. "What's the plan?"

"Well, we don't want to damage the bones, so I'm gonna need you to just use your pistol and shoot it in the legs, preferably the calf-area and Marie, put two arrows in either arm while Darren and I hold down its legs and Nick takes the photos."

"Sounds good." I agreed.

"Got it." Marie replied.

"Sure." Nick responded.

"Okay, on three." Drusilla started. "One…" I tensed as the beast looked in our general direction. "Two…" I readied Cerberus and prepared to take aim. "Three!"

Within an instant, myself, Dree and Marie were out in the clearing, preparing to prevent the grimm from moving. Our resident archer quickly fired her arrows into the monster's arms, making it reel back in pain as I shot it in the legs, causing it to fall backwards. I walked over to the crippled beowolf and slammed an armored foot down on the wound, causing it to howl while Dree held onto the other leg, Marie pinned down it's right arm and Nick snapped as many photos as he could.

"You got 'em?" I asked my partner, keeping the writhing limb underfoot.

"Got em!" He announced. I switched Cerberus into knife form and slit the creature's throat, the large gash allowing black blood to flow quickly outwards and for veins and tendons to show before the monster disintegrated.

"Okay." Dree said with a deep breath. "Nice job guys. We'll get back to Beacon and start analyzing the photos after a victory lunch."

I reverted Cerberus back into handgun form and holstered it. "How about we just get the project done and over with?" I asked.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Marie asked with an angry expression on her face. "Why is it impossible for you to relax for one goddamn second?"

"I want the assignment done quickly so that we don't **have** to worry about it later." I casually declared.

Our team leader then stepped between Marie and myself and kept an arm's distance between the two of us. "Guys, we'll figure it out when we get back." She stated. I shrugged and moved back towards beacon, but could feel a pair of yellow eyes piercing the back of my helmet.

After removing my armor and placing Razrushitel back in my locker, I headed to the dorm and began analyzing the photos that Nick had sent each of us. My teammates did not arrive until after I had finished my own analysis of the beowolf skeleton.

"You gotta' stop eating that, Dree. The mac and cheese is going to kill you one day." Her partner said as they walked into the dorm while I closed my books at my desk.

"But it's sooooo goooood!" She objected with a smile as they looked at me.

"Assignment's done." I stated, looking to Marie. "Now we don't have to worry about it."

"Darren, it's a team assignment. We all have to work on it." Dree declared as I pushed past her and headed down the hall to the cafeteria.

"Why bother? My work's correct." I called back.

"THE REST OF US HAVE AN OPINION TOO, MOTHER FUCKER!" Nick thundered at me. Such an outburst was unexpected from my partner as I slowly turned to see him storming towards me.

"I have had It right up to here with your bullshit." He growled as he raised his hand over his head. "You treat the rest of us like we don't even fucking exist and think you're so cool." He seethed, glaring into my eyes. After a moment of just staring at each other, he swung a right hook at my head, which I dodged then used the momentum of his body to push his head into the wall, slightly disorienting him.

"If you ever take a swing at me, expect to deal with the repercussions." I stated before resuming back on my path.

He pushed past me again and blocked my path with crossed arms. "Sparring arena. Now." I smirked and let out a light chuckle. "No weapons, no armor, no semblances, just fists and aura." He declared.

"If you want to get your ass kicked, then I've got no problem with it." I replied.

"I'm with you, Nick!" Marie shouted as she ran towards us. "Let's see if he responds to a nice beating." She said with a pitiful malicious stare at me.

I heard a voice sigh from behind me. "You guys are right." Dree said, gesturing to the other two who were now against me. "Darren, it seems like the only thing you respond to is force, so we have to reply in kind or else we're not going to work as a team."

I scoffed. "So three against one? That's how we're doing this?" I clarified.

"Unless you wanna bitch out." Nick snarled.

"So the cornered bitch finally shows its teeth." I said with a smirk. "Lead on, partner."

Word had quickly gotten around the school as to what was going on between our teams as a small audience formed in the stands and I stood solo with crossed on one side of the sparring arena with my team stood on the other, fists raised.

"This isn't going to go the way you might think." I addressed the three of them.

"Can we get a countdown from three from someone?" Dree called into the stands.

A feminine voice which I swore I recognized called back. "Sure. On go, begin. 3…2…1…" My teammates tensed up and prepared for a sprint while I stood my ground. "GO!"

Sure enough, all three rage-filled people ran at me and Nick was the first to take a swing with a straight jab to the chest. I dodged left and elbowed the back of his neck, causing his head to snap backwards and spine to give in as he fell to the ground. Marie struck with a kick to my ribs, which I was unprepared for as it connected. I reeled back as I faced down my two other opponents while the third was still trying to regain his balance. Dree swiftly attempted an uppercut to the jaw, which I blocked by crossing a single arm straight over her fist, causing all the momentum to be lost as I pushed the limb away and delivered a high-velocity head butt. Nick had regained his footing and struck the same time as Marie, my partner aiming low for my legs and the archer for my head and chest. Nick's strikes were slow and easy to dodge as I jumped over any kicks he attempted while Marie repeatedly aimed jab after jab to my neck.

The archer got sloppy with one strike however as it went too far to my left and I grabbed the with a left hand and hit her in the lungs with a devastating right punch. As she gasped for air and fell backwards, Nick had aimed another kick to my knee and I quickly shuffled backwards before grabbing the back of his head, crouching and slamming it onto my knee. Disoriented, he stumbled backwards as I hit him with an open-palmed uppercut to the chin, lifting his entire body off the ground and as he descended, I struck his gut with a spin kick, sending him flying away and for an alarm to sound, indicating that he had most likely run out of aura.

I was too busy revelling in my victory over my partner to notice that Dree had recovered from the blow I had dealt her as she successfully struck me with a solid hit to the face and a knee to the stomach. I recovered as she aimed another punch to my chest, only for me to dodge left, grab her by the wrist, force her down to the ground and twist her arm at an unnatural angle, causing more than a few cracks to emanate from the joint. She cried out in pain and I heard yet another klaxon that indicated the defeat of another foe.

Marie then stood in front of me in a boxing stance, determination and rage burning behind her eyes. I scoffed, released my team leader's arm and gave her a smug look. "You just don't know when to quit."

"I never quit." She quipped back. "I will die before I ever quit."

I chuckled, wiped away a bead of sweat and put both hands on my hips. "Well, I can't kill you, but I can give you a few broken bones." I replied.

She then shouted angrily, jumped into the air with lightning speed and hit me straight in the chest with both elbows, forcing me to the ground. With both her knees on my shoulders, she held my throat with her left hand and punched my repeatedly face with her right.

Once I had realized what position I was in however, I shuffled my right shoulder, causing my opponent's knee to slide out slightly and for Marie to lose her balance on my body. With a free right hand, I shoved her knee off my other shoulder, grabbed her right wrist with my left hand, struck her temple with a right hook, causing her to reel back in pain once more as I rolled overtop of her, now reversing the position as I slammed her head onto the hard floor twice before getting up. I was breathing hard, pissed off and focused on nothing else than the defeat of my teammates as I lifted Marie's left foot into the air and sent a vicious kick to her knee, making her scream out in pain and more than a few audience members to gasp and cringe. Again, another alarm sounded, indicating that had successfully beaten all of my teammates in a one versus three match.

In the heat of the moment, I let glory overtake my voice and body as I turned around, looked into the audience and pointed to each of my teammates lying on the floor of the arena in pain. "If anyone else feels like trying to fuck with me, please, by all means try!" I shouted before casually strolling to the cafeteria for lunch.


	5. A Golden Silence Turned to Pyrite

It was done. I'd sent a clear message among the entire student population that my strength and endurance were second to none, that I was to be feared and respected with my team's current condition being testament to the skill I possessed. Nick's jaw had been dislocated and had cracked two ribs, Marie ended up in crutches and her leg in a cast while our team leader had her arm in a sling.

Word had spread around quickly of my feat as I began to notice that whenever I entered a room, silence descended and others avoided looking at me. If I went to the cafeteria, conversation within a ten-foot radius of me would cease and students would nervously pick at their food as I passed. When classes were in session, the rows behind and in front of me were empty as well as the seats next to me. In the gym, people quickly finished their workouts and moved to the locker rooms once they noticed my presence.

"Diskaden." The King of the Dead said as he hovered next to me while I studied at my desk.

"Dad." I replied, slightly surprised and closing my book to face him. "It's been a while."

He nodded slowly. "It has. You will notice that my visits will become less and less frequent as you progress. I witnessed your argument with your teammates. You fought well."

I nodded in thanks as a proud smile grew on my face. "I had to teach them that I wouldn't stand for their unwillingness to cooperate with me."

"And you did so very well." Dad said with a raspy chuckle. "I don't think that they'll forget the lesson you taught them anytime soon." I continued to smile, happy that dad approved of my actions. "Fear will keep any other opponents at bay and your followers in line. Remember that when you are on the throne of this world and at my side on Mount Olympus." He said before vanishing once more.

"I will." I whispered before returning to my studies. I continued to make notes for an upcoming test in Oobleck's class when my teammates walked in, conversation being left in the hallway once they saw me at my desk. A smirk grazed my features as I noticed the fear in their eyes.

It was a Saturday and they had just gotten back from yet another social gathering at the mall, offering me no invitation, for obvious reasons. The fight had been a week ago and now the only times that my teammates spoke to me were to inform me about assignments that I had missed. I was about to return to my textbook, but an announcement from Professor Goodwitch over the loudspeakers ordering me to Ozpin's office interrupted me.

I leaned up against the back of the elevator car as it rose to the top floor of the clock tower, pondering why dad would be checking in less often with me. _I guess being King of the Dead and ruler of the Underworld makes him a busy god._ I concluded as I entered the Headmaster's office to see the Professor in question gazing out the window, his back to me and mug in hand. I sat in the chair in front of his desk, not bothering to wait for an invitation.

"Two." Ozpin stated.

I sighed and shook my head. _Fucking mind games._ "Two what?" I replied.

"Two offences. That's how many you've committed during your time at Beacon." He said, still looking at the Beacon grounds.

"How many more until I get a prize?" I asked with a smirk, leaning back in the chair.

"One more and you get an expulsion." The Professor said as he turned around and sat in his chair. "Although I don't think that was the type of 'prize' you were expecting, Mr. Falsteen."

I scoffed as I decided to buy into his game. "Okay, what was my first offence?"

"Treating your partner as your own personal slave. The second, I think you know."

"I find it funny that you'd punish me for asking my partner to do a few things for me while I do nothing in return, but you let bigotry and racism run rampant." I stated. "Hell of a school you're running Ozpin."

He sighed, put down his mug and clasped his hands together on his desk. "I'll admit, that was a mistake that went on far longer than I wanted it to, but I'm starting to think that accepting you into my school was another. One that I intend to rectify should it get any more out of hand."

"What do you want from me?" I demanded with crossed arms.

He ignored my question and continued to speak. "I accepted you into this school for your combat skills, but only now do I realize that with the strength that you possess comes an arrogant attitude, one that pushes away and harms anyone who gets in your way." He then shot what almost looked like a glare at me. "What I **need** from you, Mr. Falsteen, is for you to change your mind-set about what exactly a huntsman's responsibilities are and for you to work with your team rather than breaking their bones simply because they disagree with you."

I let another smirk plaster itself on my face. "So I should just let everybody walk over me?"

"If those who are walking on you are those who believe that you have a shred of decency, then yes." He quipped.

I scoffed and made for the elevator, walking backwards as I talked. "We done here?"

"No more chances." He replied.

I entered the car and pressed the button for the ground floor. "That a threat?"

"A warning." He said as the doors closed.

I released a frustrated breath and punched the side of the metal box as hard as I could, leaving a massive indentation. _He bullshitting himself if he thinks that was just a warning._ I thought.

On the way back to my dorm, I rounded a corner and bumped into the blonde girl I recognized from the gym. We collided and she fell to the ground whereas I managed to stay upright. We looked at each other before she shrugged and gestured to herself.

"Well?"

"What?" I asked.

"Aren't you going to help me up?"

I was about to open my mouth to say how if she was too weak to get up off the floor herself then she should just stay there, but the Headmaster's speech echoed in my head. I had no more chances left and he was anxious to get me out of the school, so I figured I might as well start redeeming myself in his eyes now. I then extended a hand, which she grabbed as I pulled her to her feet.

She brushed herself off and I began to walk away. "You're not much of a gentleman, are you?"

"Nice guys finish last." I replied, continuing to walk.

"Don't try and pull that shit with my sister or I'll break your neck!" She shouted.

I turned around at the threat, more intrigued than afraid. "Three people tried to do the same thing and they walked away unsuccessfully with broken bones. What makes you capable of doing what they couldn't?"

The lilac-eyed girl crossed her arms and stared me down. "Because I'd be fighting for someone other than myself."

I paused before retorting as I realized something. "You were at the match, weren't you? You called the countdown."

"That's right. You actually fought pretty well. Where'd you go to school before this?"

I was about to lash out and tell her that it was none of her business when I reminded myself that I was on thin ice. "Signal Academy. Graduated last year."

She let out a grunt of curiosity. "So did I. Your weapons are a huge flail and pistol right?"

"Yeah, and you've got shotgun gauntlets."

"That's right." She said with a nod. "We should spar some time, see which wins; strength or speed."

I resumed on my path back to my dorm. "One massive hit from me is nothing compared to ten small hits." I called back with a smirk.

"Mine aren't small." She declared with a smug look.

 _We'll see about that._ I thought, making my way to my dorm.

The next few days passed by with the quiet between myself and my teammates being very welcome. They had all healed from their wounds although I noticed Marie still had a bit of a limp.

On Monday, dad visited once again when I was alone in the dorm and after I had brought up my conversation with Ozpin, he gave me an answer I did **not** want to hear.

"Apologize to your team, Diskaden."

I looked up at his glowing red eyes, puzzled and angry at the same time. "Why should I? My team were the ones who provoked me into attacking!" I stated.

"I realize that. However an apology would go a very long way in redeeming yourself in the Headmaster's eyes. On the other hand, it is also a sign of weakness, so I would advise against making a habit of it." Dad declared.

"I still don't see-"

"Diskaden!" He roared back. "The path to leadership is dependant on your becoming a huntsman and the Headmaster is eager to rid himself of your presence, and if you are banished from this academy, then you have no hopes of becoming the ruler this planet needs." He seethed.

I shrunk into myself and nodded. "Okay. I'll apologize."

"Excellent." He replied. "I hope to hear more of your successes later on." Vanishing once again, I was left alone as I pondered just how I was supposed to apologize for breaking my teammates' limbs.

I then decided to worry about it later as we would soon be going on a trip into the Emerald Forest with Dr. Oobleck to study the history of the forest temple or something along those lines.

Armored up and bringing up the rear of the group with another first year team that I think was named Cardinal, the eight of us followed behind Oobleck who was wearing a brown trench coat over his regular clothes as he moved forward and gestured to the direction where we had retrieved the relics that then assigned us to our teams and proceeded to ramble about the story behind the ruins. I tuned most of it out as I was far too focused on dad's words.

 _How the hell do apologize for something like that and why should I?_ _Also, aren't they also in the wrong for provoking me?_ I wondered.

"Now, students!" Oobleck said, making me stop in my tracks. "I would like for each of you to split into your teams and examine the forest temple for anything that would give anyone a guess as to just how old these ruins are. Meet me back here in an hour." We then divided into our separate teams and we moved towards the ruins.

After about fifteen minutes of scrounging around in the dirt for any signs as to how old the ruins were and finding nothing, I heard the low rumble of an ursa close by. I looked up to see that my teammates had come to the same realization I had as they went silent and began scanning the nearby tree line for any nearby grimm.

After another rumble, two ursai lunged out of the trees and one went straight for Marie, but our team leader saved her from being swatted into the distance by folding the metal plating of the massive metal gauntlet that clamped onto her left arm outwards into a metal tower shield that effectively absorbed the blow.

The monster's compatriot had its sights set on me as it charged towards me, but I was prepared as I drew Cerberus and fired several rounds into the beast's stomach. Unfazed by the bullets however, it continued to charge and somehow managed to pin me down. I was locked in a competition of brute strength with the creature as my arms pushed against its own, trying to prevent the vicious claws from scratching at my face. I looked around for my teammates for help, but they were all too busy fighting with the other ursa.

"Nick!" I shouted my partner's name. He looked towards me with both his knives drawn, then ignored my plea for help as he went back to helping the girls who were pretty much done with their altercation.

I let out a grunt of frustration and anger as I shoved the ursa's paws away from my body, shifted Cerberus into its knife form and shoulder-charged into the beast's chest, causing it to fall backwards and leave the throat fully exposed as I stabbed repeatedly at the opening, causing the black blood to splash onto my armor, blending in with the already black protection.

I then shifted Cerberus back into handgun form and reloaded the pistol before storming over to my partner and holding it directly to Nick's head. "Are you going to tell me why you didn't bother to help?" I demanded.

He sheathed both knives and glared back at me defiantly. "You broke Mary's leg, Dree's arm and dislocated my jaw."

Our team leader then drew her sword and held it to my throat, my weapon still to my partner's head. "Force will be met with force." She stated. I looked to her while Mary stood behind her and nocked an arrow to her bow, ready to fire upon me.

I grunted, holstered my weapon while the girls relaxed. "Why should we bother to talk to you when if we do, you answer with violence?" Mary asked.

"Because teammates help each other." I replied.

Nick scoffed. "Really? Name one time. Just one time when you've helped someone other than yourself, Falsteen."

I thought for a moment before I realized that he was right. I had only helped myself, but it had gotten me extremely far. "Fuck you, Parsons. Maybe if you weren't such a little pussy you'd be able to help yourself instead of needing others."

He smirked back and continued to stay defiant. "At least that makes me human." He said before returning to the task at hand with the girls, looking for clues to guess how old the ruins were.

 _Idiots. Needing others to fight your battles for you doesn't make you human, being the strong survivor does._ I thought before joining them.

That night in our dorm, as we all lay in bed before going to sleep, I still wondered if dad really wanted me to say I was sorry to these weaklings I'd been paired up with.

My thoughts were interrupted when a hand clamped itself over my mouth. My eyes shot open and my hand was already reaching for Cerberus on my nightstand when I realized it was Dree who had awoken me. She held a finger to her lips and gestured for me to get up. I begrudgingly obliged my team leader, but still grabbed my prized handgun and put it in the holster strapped it to my thigh before we exited the dorm.

Dressed in a pair of ash colored shorts and a grey t-shirt that served as her pajamas, Dree gestured for me to follow her to the rooftop where she then sat down and draped her legs over the edge.

"Why exactly am I up here?" I asked, standing behind her wearing my usual black pajama pants and no shirt.

She leaned forward slightly and clasped her hands together, keeping her gaze towards the grounds. "Darren, why did you bother applying to Beacon if you knew that you were going to have to work with others when you clearly don't want to?"

 _Great, another interrogation._ "So that I can become a huntsman. Why else?"

"You say that you want to become a huntsman, but ever since we've been on a team together, you've behaved more like a mercenary for hire than anything else. You only care about yourself, you don't help anybody else and you're just an asshole." She declared bluntly.

"Huntsmen are expected to get results." I stated. "If you don't get results, you're a failure. I'm no failure."

She then got up from her sitting position and glared right at me. "That's only half the battle. You're also supposed to help others. But since you've been doing nothing of the sort, I've asked Ozpin if we can replace you and as it turns out, he's all too happy to do so." She deadpanned. "All I have to do is say the word and you're out of Beacon. So stop being who you are start being who we want you to be or leave. Those are your only options." Dree left the rooftop and I was just standing there, stunned at the fact that the ability to get me kicked out of Beacon had now fallen to the students rather than the Headmaster.

 _I guess the quiet isn't all it's cracked up to be._ I thought.


	6. Learning New Things

Apparently, Dree had decided to spread word about her little talk with me a few days ago all around the school as conversation no longer ground to a halt upon my entrance to a room and no one was afraid to make eye contact with me. I was losing control over my dominion-to-be and that did not bode well.

During a Thursday afternoon after the dismissal bell rang, I walked out of Professor Port's class and was intercepted in the hallway by the guy I recognized as the leader of team CRDL.

I ignored him and continued to move back to my dorm, keeping to my schedule which had boiled down to classes on the weekdays, studying after classes, more studying on the weekends and working out.

He gained my attention once again as he placed a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to heave a resigned sigh and turn around. "Yeah?"

"Hey. Darren, right?" He asked.

"That's right. And you're…Cardin." I replied.

He smirked and nodded with crossed arms as he leaned against the hallway. "So I heard about your little situation with your team."

"Yeah, you and everybody else in the school, what's your point?" I snapped.

"My point is that I think it's a load of bullshit. The strong like you and me shouldn't be muzzled, we should be allowed to reign over the weak."

"Yeah well, as much as I agree with you, the Headmaster's kind of got me on a short leash right now." I stated.

His smirk grew. "Not a problem. My team and two others are going into the forest of Forever Fall tomorrow and I was thinking that if they saw two of the strongest students there that it might get them to obey us a little easier."

I thought for a moment. _I suppose every ruler_ _ **does**_ _need some sort of right-hand man. Cardin's goals seem to align with mine as well and he's the only one who doesn't hate me, so I guess he's my only option._ I nodded back. "Okay. Let's show the school that no one messes with us and gets away with it."

He extended his hand and I returned the gesture, both our faces bearing mischievous grins.

The next day Cardin called me after classes were out and I regrouped with his team wearing my signature armor and handgun, leaving my flail back in my locker. The team leader was introducing me to Russell, Dove and Sky until an increasingly familiar feminine voice caught my attention.

"Oh, the Dark Knight's coming with us?" I turned around to see the lilac-eyed girl whose name I had yet to learn smirking at me as the rest of her team congregated with another team consisting of two guys and two girls.

"That a problem?" I asked.

She smiled and shook her head. "A chance to see the two most hated people in school get eaten alive by grimm? Nothing would keep me from seeing that."

Cardin growled at the remark while I scoffed. "Yeah, keep dreaming Blondie."

"Yang, Professor Goodwitch is coming, get over here!" The girl dressed in red I recognized from my arrival at Beacon ordered.

The Professor approached us, scroll in hand and shot an intrigued look at me. "Mr. Falsteen, why are you here?"

Before I could open my mouth to answer, Cardin stepped in. "He's never been the Forest of Forever fall before, so I figured why not bring him along?" The brown haired mace-wielder said with a shrug.

"Hmm." Goodwitch replied. "Very well, but if anything happens to him, I will hold you personally responsible Mr, Winchester."

Cardin smirked and nodded. "No problem."

We then made our way into the red forest and the three teams were tasked with gathering jars of sap from the trees. Cardin dragged a blond haired guy and told him to gather the sap for him and his team instead while we lounged around in the grass.

"So who is he?" I asked. "Some sort of butler for you?"

Cardin laughed a smug, overconfident laugh and grinned. "Yeah, his name's Jaune. He's the leader of team JNPR and he's in the palm of my hand."

The rest of the team laughed along with their leader and I smiled slightly. _Cardin would definitely make for a decent right-hand man._ Soon, Jaune returned with six jars of sap, one for the five people that were required to gather it and one for… I wasn't actually sure what.

"See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it Jauney-boy?"

"Ugh, I think I'm allergic to this stuff." Jaune replied.

"Now you're probably wondering; 'why did my buddy Cardin as me to gather six jars of sap when there's only five of us?'"

"That is **one** of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes." He replied.

Cardin bore another grin and looked at me as he helped Jaune to his feet. "Well, come with me and you'll find out."

Intrigued, I followed Cardin and his teammates to a hill that overlooked where some other students were gathering their own tree sap. As I lay prone to Cardin's left, Jaune crawled up on his right. The leader of CRDL then went on a rant about revenge or something and produced a box with a large 'W' printed on the front.

"Hit her with the sap." He ordered. At the remark, my eyebrows shot up and I shot a look of protest over to my compatriot.

"Hey, hold on." I told Jaune. "Cardin, what are you doing? The sap's going to draw more than just those wasps to her."

He scoffed back as we stood. "She can handle it."

"And what if she can't?" I snapped back. "She'll die and you'll be out of Beacon so damn fast."

The mace-wielder gave me a confused look as Jaune's hand with the sap continued to waver. "Why the sudden worry about the well-being of others? **You** broke your team leader's arm, dislocated your partner's jaw, and snapped your other teammate's leg."

I shoved him back and looked down on him. "HEY! There's a big fucking difference between harming someone and killing them. If she dies, you'll weaken all of team JNPR, further weaken Jaune here, and what good is he going to do you then, huh? He'll just be a pathetic pile of armor and blond hair."

Cardin scoffed again and looked back to his underling. "Jaune, hit her with the sap."

"No." He replied timidly.

"What was that?"

"I said, NO!" He declared defiantly as the jar flew through the air and shattered on Cardin's chest plate, causing the sap to splatter over his armor.

Myself and the rest of team CRDL could only stand there, stunned at Jaune's sudden burst of courage. Cardin laughed without humor and looked up. "Oh, you've done it now."

I leaned up against a nearby tree with arms folded as Cardin and his lackeys beat on the leader of JNPR, wondering just how much he could take before he couldn't get up anymore.

"I don't care what you do to me. But you are **not** messing with my team." Jaune said.

"You think talk like that makes you tough? You think you're a big strong man now?" Jaune merely smiled in response and Cardin let out an angered yell as he struck Jaune once again in the face, but a blinding white flash appeared and when I had regained my vision, the leader of CRDL was holding his hand in pain and Jaune just gazed at his hands in amazement.

Shaking off the pain, Cardin returned to the beating. "Let's see how much of a man you really are." That was when the roar of an ursa interrupted him and burst forth from the trees. Cardin's teammates quickly bolted when they realized the beast wasn't interested in them, but rather the sap that was on Cardin's armor.

I continued to watch with mild interest as the monster sent Cardin flying across the small meadow and towered over him.

"Aren't you going to help him?!" Jaune shouted at me.

I looked back and shrugged. "If he can't kill it by himself, then he needs to learn how. And what better time than the present?"

Jaune growled at me, unsheathed his sword and shield and instead blocked the hit that was meant for the guy that had just been laying into him not five minutes ago. Both amazed and confused, I watched as Jaune continued to fight with every fiber of his being and eventually decapitated the ursa with a single slash.

"I need to find stronger people." I mumbled under my breath as I returned to the point where we would meet with Goodwitch.

The only ones there were the Professor herself, the blonde haired girl, a girl dressed in black and white with a bow on her head, a guy dressed in green and white with a pink and orange clad girl next to him.

"That's right, Professor." The girl dressed in black said. "We heard the roar of a creature of grimm and Ruby told us to get you."

"Has it been dealt with?" Goodwitch replied.

"We don't know." The blonde girl stated. The Professor sighed and made her way back where I had just come from.

"The Professor doesn't seem happy." I declared.

"Only when she's talking to me she's not." The blonde girl replied.

I was beginning to get frustrated at the fact that I didn't know her name. "Who are you by the way?"

"The one, the only, the insanely drop-dead gorgeous Yang Xiao Long." She replied dramatically. She then draped an arm over the black-clad girl and pointed a finger to her. "This here is my partner, Blake. The guy is Ren and beside him we have Nora. Now how about telling us who **you** are?"

"Darren Falsteen."

"Darren?" Yang echoed in disbelief.

"What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I just would've thought that someone who dresses in all that armor would have more of a badass name like 'Shadow of Death' or 'War Bringer.'"

"Not actual baby names, Yang." Blake pointed out.

I gave a grunt of agreement and looked at the others. "You know, for such a weak-willed wannabe knight, that Jaune guy actually has some strength to him." Ren and Nora glared at my unflattering comments about their team leader while Blake and Yang just looked confused.

"How do you mean?" Blake asked.

"He just killed the ursa that was about to kill Cardin even though he was beating the hell out of Jaune." I stated with crossed arms. "Pretty stupid decision if you ask me."

Yang shrugged. "That's just who vomit-boy is. Cares so much about everyone else and never bothers to ask anything in return."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Still, why would he help someone who's been bullying him?" I asked.

The four of them exchanged odd looks before Yang answered. "Because everyone has the right to live?" She offered.

"The **strong** live." I declared. "The weak die. Rights don't matter when a beowolf's claw is coming at you."

Yang scoffed humourlessly and waved me off. "Jackass."

With a scowl on my face, I returned to Beacon and my dorm, deciding to hit the gym until it was time to head to bed. As I lay with hands clasped together behind my head and stared up at the ceiling, I contemplated my own words and actions earlier in the day.

 _Why exactly_ _ **did**_ _I stop Jaune from throwing the sap when I told Yang that only the strong should live? Was that statement to protect an asset or a person?_ The day's events continued to replay over and over in my head and I started to wonder if anyone in this school was fit to stand by my side at my height of my power.

(Hey guys, so sorry about the late update but I've had a lot of things on my mind lately and it's because of that that I have to put this story on hiatus for a while until I've finished my other projects.)


	7. Duress and Dances

Months passed before my partner even began to speak to me, but at least he was relatively civil and patient. That girl, Yang, was also becoming increasingly interested in me but unlike the others, there was something about her I actually found attractive. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but aside from her physical traits, there was just something there that I found quite interesting.

I even went so far as to volunteer my scroll number and every once in a while, we chatted about our lives. I prevented myself from getting into a relationship however as my mind was still focused on the ultimate goal of becoming ruler of Remnant.

We'd just come back from our classes and starting yet another weekend when the girls had left the room, leaving Nick and myself alone on a Friday afternoon, my partner reading a comic book while I studied.

"Hey, Darren."

I closed my eyes, dropped my pen and took a quiet deep breath before turning around and opening my eyes again. "Yeah?"

"Give me your help." I was incredibly tempted to snap at him and tell him to fuck off, but after reminding myself that I was still on a short leash, merely asked what he needed.

"An exercise partner. I've got new designs for some armor but the issue is that it's going to be heavy on my shoulders, torso and back so I need some help with strengthening myself."

Intrigued, I asked him to show me said designs, under the false pretence that if I saw it, then I could help assess which muscle groups he needed to work when I was just curious. He walked over to his desk, pulled out several sheets of paper, turned on his desk lamp and flattened them all out and what I saw was actually quite impressive. It looked like a full chest plate and on the back was a chain gun with a belt of ammunition that led into a backpack while some sort of visor covered the left eye.

"The pack will hold the ammunition and the gun when I want to collapse it while the visor will select all grimm combatants and human targets I deem hostile and the front will be reinforced with extra armor to prevent it from being lopsided." He explained.

"How in the hell did you manage to think this up?" I asked, stunned at Nick's true intellect.

He bobbed his head from side to side as he gently put the papers back in his desk. "Had it in mind for a while now but never had the means to put it together until now."

I smirked evilly. "Alright. I'll help you, but realize that if you don't keep up with me, then you won't be able to use that armor."

He smirked back and folded his arms. "And I hope **you** still realize that if you push me too hard, then I'll tell Dree that you're off the team."

My mirth was quickly replaced by rage as I realized he was willing to kick me off the team if I went so far to push him to his physical limits.

"Fine." I snapped back. "We'll workout whenever you want."

"Tomorrow morning." My partner immediately replied. "Ten o' clock in the gym."

It angered me to have to give in to my weak partner's demands, but I had no other choice. "Fine. Ten in the morning tomorrow. Just show up prepared." I requested with a grunt.

The next day, sure enough, Nick was already waiting for me just outside the locker rooms inside the weightlifting center wearing a pair of dark blue shorts and a matching t-shirt that showed off his spaghetti-arms. I started him off with shoulder exercises and after just one set of overhead shoulder press, he was sweating and his muscles were clearly beginning to give in.

I let loose a sigh of disappointment and asked if he was okay to continue, to which he merely nodded. I had to give the guy credit though, what he lacked in strength he made up for in will as after four more sets of the same exercise, he still wanted to continue even though he looked absolutely haggard.

The day continued and we ended up spending our entire weekend training together. Granted he was still leagues away from where he needed to be, but at least he was willing to try.

As the week's classes continued to progress, Goodwitch informed us of the upcoming dance on Sunday with our missions the day after. Of course I immediately disregarded the event and imagined I'd probably be studying or making use of the gym that day.

The night before the dance, my teammates had just come back from another trip into downtown Vale but this time, Nick appeared to be hiding something behind his back while the girls stood in front of him and addressed me.

"So Darren…" Marie started with a smirk. "The dance is coming up."

I nodded back as I leaned back in my desk chair with arms folded. "Yeah, so?"

"Were you planning on going?" Dree asked, barely containing a smile that got me feeling suspicious.

"No." I drawled out cautiously. "Why?"

My team leader and her partner then stepped to the side as Nick displayed what he had behind his back. A completely pink tuxedo with a white bow tie protected by a dry-cleaning bag.

"Well, you're going now." Nick declared with a malicious grin. I glared daggers back at him before returning back to my studies. He then let loose a chuckle loaded with mirth. "No, that's not the way this works. Either you go to the dance wearing this or you leave Beacon."

Confused, I turned back to him to see all three of my teammates smiling. "We just have to tell Ozpin that you've declined to follow my orders once again and you're gone." Dree stated.

Rage soon welled up in my chest and I noticed my breathing becoming quicker as I realized I quite literally had no choice in the matter. "What time do I have to show up?" I asked between clenched teeth.

"Within half an hour after the dance starts." Marie replied.

I blew out a breath to contain my anger and reluctantly nodded. _And they call_ _ **me**_ _a prick._ "Fine, I'll go." As they grinned once more, Nick lay out my attire for the dance on my bed before adding one final note.

"Oh, and by the end of the night you have to have danced with at least one girl."

Hate. That was the only thing going through my head as my teammates left the dorm to go to the dance, Marie's arm entwined with Nick's while Dree walked alongside her date; an exchange student from Haven named Sage or something. I hated the suit, hated the affair, hated giving in to their demands and above all, hated leaving Cerberus behind in the dorm, yet another condition set forth by my treacherous teammates.

Shirt discarded, I looked at the embarrassing set of clothes laid out for me on my bed. Along with the suit, they'd also pitched in for a pair of matching shoes for the occasion, much to my chagrin. I then donned the clothes and waited as long as I could before making my way to the ballroom.

 _Prince of the Dead, reduced to dancing. Once I rule, any who bring up this occasion will immediately be executed and their heads will adorn my throne._ I thought walking past a few students who attempted to hide their laughter with hands over their mouths. With one more sigh of frustration, I opened the doors and of course Yang would have to be the one at the podium greeting students as they entered.

She took one look at me, broke into a grin and laughed until she cried. "I'm glad you see the humor in the situation." I deadpanned over her amusement.

She wiped away a tear of mirth and let loose a few chuckles before speaking. "Oh man, this might be the greatest thing I've seen all year."

"Yeah, keep laughing. You're not the first and sure as hell not going to be the last." I announced grimly, making my way to the most isolated table of the room.

"Plotting your vengeance?" Dad asked as he hovered next to my seat.

I nodded and lowered my voice so that no one else would hear over the music and chatting. "This is disgraceful to say the least. I believe that a show of force after I become ruler will suppress any memories of this incident."

"Perhaps I will introduce you to Cerberus… the **real** Cerberus and he will tear out the throats of those who mock you and feast on their corpses. He is an excellent attack dog."

I chuckled. "I would be very thankful." A thought then came to mind as my head began to wander. "Father?"

"Yes, Diskaden?"

"This beast that you intend to unleash… can you tell me what it will look like?"

He chuckled and the glowing eyes waved from side to side, indicating a shake of his head. "No, I would prefer that you would appear just as surprised as the people when it takes to the world."

I gave a small nod. "Understood."

"Until next time, my son." He said before the familiar black smoke dissipated once more.

The evening progressed slower than Professor Port's grimm anatomy class as the rest of the students danced and my teammates' task pushed itself to the forefront of my brain. I had to find a girl to dance with but most if not all of them hated my guts.

Desperately searching for a solution, my eyes fell on Yang in her white dress that I had to admit actually didn't look too bad and a thought sprang to mind. I figured I could phrase the sentence to make it sound like a request rather than an attempt at flirting.

With a deep breath, I stood and made my way over to her, pushing away all those who stood in my path, earning a few less than kind comments.

"Yang, I need a favor."

The blonde smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. "And what could the dark douchebag possibly need from me?"

Holding back the urge to shout back, I replied. "I need you to dance with me otherwise I'll get kicked out of Beacon."

She began to chuckle lightly. "Wha-what?" She asked confused.

"My teammates told me I had to wear this ridiculous monkey suit and dance with at least one girl by the end of the night otherwise they'd tell Ozpin I wasn't following their wishes and ask him to expel me." I explained.

She nodded slowly. "Alright, but you have to ask for it." I opened my mouth but she held a finger over my lips. "Nicely."

"Yang, will you dance with me?" I asked quickly with a sigh.

She grunted and shook her head. "Not good enough." She declared, turning away.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, putting a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn around once more. With another sigh, I repeated my earlier sentence. "Yang, would you care to dance?" I asked slower and with more heartiness, earning a nod and a small smile.

She took my hand with her own and we began to follow the motions of the other students around us, moving in rhythm with the music.

"Hey, what's that tattoo supposed to be?" She asked.

"What?" I replied.

"That thing on your hand."

"Oh. That's Cerberus, he's a…" I let out a light chuckle. "A family pet."

She shook her head in amusement. "You're strange."

"Says the girl who bursts into flame." I retaliated with a smirk.

Yang returned the gesture. "How about after our missions we get some sparring practice in before the tournament? Then we'll finally see who'd win."

"Fine." I said with a shrug. "Just a word of warning though, I'm not above hitting a girl." _Or any others who dare stand in my path._

She raised one eyebrow and gave me a smug look. "Don't worry about me. Worry about the fact that you might not be able to stand for the weeks after."

We continued our pre-match banter with one another, tossing threats at each other like they were the blows themselves. During our talk, time seemed to fly by unusually quickly as the night came to a close and students began to vacate the ballroom. Much to my confusion, the leader of team JNPR came to the dance wearing a dress simply to lift his partner's spirits and as they left, seemed to be in far better moods than when they arrived.

"But why didn't she just ask him to the dance herself rather than being so distant?" I asked Yang as we walked to our dorms as she explained the whole situation to me.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Because, and this may be hard for you to believe, but some people just want to see others happy even if it makes themselves sad."

I threw my hands up in resignation. "Alright, fine. I may not understand it, but I maintain that it's just stupid."

She let out a grunt and pointed a thumb at the door she stopped in front of. "This is my dorm. Thanks for the dance, I guess. Even it **was** only to keep yourself from getting expelled." She added with another trademark smirk.

I scoffed back. "Yeah, don't let it go to your head."

"G'night, black bastard." Yang called as she entered her dorm. I unconsciously smirked and continued to walk down the hall before making a realization. I was going the wrong way.

I entered my dorm to see Nick undoing his tie with Marie's help and Dree dressed in her pyjamas, all of them bearing smirks wide as rivers upon seeing my arrival.

"Something funny?" I inquired.

"You danced with that blonde girl all night long." Marie stated as she undid Nick's tie who gave her a quick thanks.

I shrugged. "Yeah, to keep you guys off my back." I retaliated.

At that, Dree shook her head and began to laugh quietly while my partner spoke. "We never said that there would be further repercussions if you didn't find someone to dance with."

I attempted to argue back, but as I recalled the conversation, realized they were right. Nick only told me to find someone to dance with. None of them ever said that it was part of the original threat.

I said nothing, merely scowled at my failure to realize the mistake earlier and changed into my pyjamas before going to sleep and awaiting our missions the next day.


	8. Continuous combat

I was elated to say the least. Today we would be assigned our missions, which meant several days of nothing but slaughtering creatures of grimm. After the past few weeks of doing nothing but studying and exercising, satisfying my bloodlust could practically be considered a vacation.

Dressed in my full suit of black battle armor along with my teammates, we headed down to the amphitheatre and awaited Ozpin's speech before selecting our mission, a decision that I'm sure I would have no say in. The Headmaster went on and on about The Great War and the attempted destruction of all forms of art, none of it sinking in as I tuned it out and focused my mind on the feeling of a beowolf's bones snapping under my foot, the sounds of an ursa's pleading roars while I fired Cerberus into its head and the smell of blood permeating the air.

Ozpin finished his long-winded retelling and much to my chagrin, Dree signed us up for village security, a mission that would entail following around a law enforcement officer of a remote settlement that focused more on catching criminals than eliminating grimm.

"You guys realize that there will always be people who commit crimes, right?" I addressed the three of them. "Grimm however, can only kill if they're alive."

"Darren, putting criminals away helps society function the way it should and the more bad people we put behind bars, the more resources the government can divert to kingdom defenses." Marie argued.

I grunted back, realizing that she and the others were adamant on the issue. "When do we head out?" Nick asked.

Dree scanned the holographic board before answering. "Looks like… tomorrow at nine in the morning."

"So what do we do until then?" I inquired.

She shrugged back. "I guess whatever we want."

I heaved a breath of frustration at the news. There was nothing more I hated than waiting. Thankfully though, I was still able to make use of the weight facility but Nick insisted on joining me, eager to get in more exercise. The day passed by and the next came quickly and I awoke at seven to eat breakfast and prepare for the upcoming mission by disassembling Cerberus, cleaning it and loading up with as many magazines as I could carry.

When eight came around, I descended to the locker room and donned my signature armor once more before regrouping with my teammates in our room.

"Ready to go guys?" Dree asked. Nick gave a nod and sheathed his knives while Marie answered with a yes after testing the string on her bow and I just stayed silent with my arms folded leaning up against the open door dressed in full combat attire. They moved to leave and I made sure to stay a few feet ahead of them, still filled with rage at the fact that they managed to deceive me.

We got to the airship docks and boarded the drop ship headed towards our designated village. Just as we were about to exit the Vale city limits however, alarms rang across the air and in the distance I could see a flock of nevermores closing in.

My teammates were glued to the doors and could only watch in horror as the creatures of grimm also flowed forth from a hole in the city square.

"We've got to do something!" Marie shouted.

Dree nodded back and turned to the pilot who had been unaware of the evil presence. "Turn us around and drop us in the city!" She shouted over the roar of the engines.

"It's not our mission! Not our problem!" I objected casually.

"Darren, people are going to die if we don't help!" My partner replied. "Besides, you want to kill grimm, right?!"

I smirked underneath my helmet and gave a slow nod. Nick was starting to understand me pretty well. Our aircraft did a one-eighty as we changed our destination to the city square. With the doors of the craft opened, I looked down and saw an ursa barrelling down the streets. I waited until we were directly over the beast and jumped, hearing the calls of my other teammates as I fell and clutched my knees to my chest.

My combined body weight along with my armor transformed me into a bullet and once I crashed into the spine of the bear-grimm, the monster immediately falling to the ground with a loud crunch indicating the breaking of several bones and white armor plates. I stood, drew Cerberus and fired twice into its neck, the black blood staining the grey streets. Looking around, I saw two people down the street staring at me and shouting their thanks. Ignoring the praise, I took off sprinting towards the middle of the town where gunshots and cries of agony from the grimm emanated.

Upon arrival I saw Yang and her teammates fighting off the beasts while my team had just leapt off the aircraft on the opposite side of the square and were eliminating the threats one by one.

Hearing an ear-piercing screech, I spun left and witnessed eight creeps charging with teeth bared. Deciding to conserve ammo, I holstered Cerberus, held Razrushitel with both hands and hit the first with a horizontal blow to the head, completely separating it from the rest of the body with a satisfying squelch as it flew into the wall of a neighbouring building. I misjudged how far away the others were and two of the bipeds bit down on either of my forearms, forcing me to release my beloved flail and deal with them hand-to-hand. Raising my arms high as I could with the added weight, I then slammed them onto the ground and one creature released my limb while the other continued to bite down, severely denting my armor to the point of penetration. I stomped on the stunned one's neck, seized the other by the throat and squeezed, the creature releasing my arm and letting another screech echo across the air. My now free limb then seized it by the lower neck and my other hand grasped the upper part, pushing in opposite directions until once again, I separated skull from body. Wasting no time, I moved onto the beast still underfoot and repeatedly struck the skull with armored fists until it stopped writhing.

The remaining half dozen continued to charge and with a laugh that I had to admit sounded somewhat sadistic and maniacal, sprinted towards them without either of my weapons drawn. As a demigod, I was pretty much unstoppable as it was, but when my bloodlust took hold, anything or anyone who stood in my way was nothing more than a pebble was to a goliath.

The first punch I threw struck one enemy directly in the temple, forcing it onto the ground and I placed a foot on its shoulder before ripping off the arm, leaving the beast bleeding out while I used the limb as a club to strike a compatriot in the jaw in an upwards direction sending it flying. Another attempted to leap on my back but made the foolish mistake of letting loose a screech before doing so. I quickly spun around to see the monster in mid-air with teeth bared and claws outstretched, ready to kill. I ducked slightly, seized it by neck and lower stomach before slamming it down, cracking several bones as the one I sent airborne fell on top of it, the sharp spines impaling an unprotected chest and stomach. Drawing Cerberus, I then put one bullet in each creature before the other three jumped me at the same time forcing me to the ground. With two pinning down my legs while the last sat on my left arm and savagely tried biting for my throat, my armor shielding me from the near-lethal attacks. I could hear the metal quickly giving away however and decided to go all-out. Striking with a free right hand, I stunned the creep attempting to bite my neck and while it recoiled from the pain, I drew Cerberus one final time, putting a bullet into the ones that held down my legs while I holstered my pistol, moved on top of the one with its belly to the sky and delved both hands in, one pushing left while the other to the right. After a second of straining, the stomach opened as blood quickly spurted forth and I could see every organ from the heart to the stomach.

I took a breather as the corpses started to disintegrate and checked on my teammates. With Dree's gauntlet-shield unfolded, she kept a beowolf at bay while Marie fired two arrows at once, just missing my team leader by mere centimetres and impaling themselves in the wolf-grimm's stomach and throat. My partner however, appeared to be biting off more than he could chew as an ursa threatened to end his life after he'd been knocked down with his weapons on the ground several meters away from him.

I breathed a frustrated sigh and drew Cerberus once more, aiming directly at the head of the creature. _Waste of good bullets._ I pulled the trigger and only heard a click. My eyebrows shot up and for the first time in a long time, began to worry. I could reload fast, but not that fast and if Nick died, that would be it. Everyone would pin his death on me and I'd be out of Beacon. Acting on instinct, I snapped Cerberus into knife form and took careful aim. I'd never built it to act as a throwing knife but I still practiced in case the occasion ever rose. To build momentum, I took three steps forward and whipped my knife at the ursa so hard that I heard my shoulder crack. I heard a very distinctive roar of pain and looked up to see the monster rear back, leaving Nick the prime opportunity to strike as he rolled towards his weapons and slashed repeatedly, leaving dozens of marks from which the blood poured out before it fell to the ground. He looked to me and nodded as I grabbed Razrushitel from the corpses of the creeps and paved a warpath through the grimm to my partner's location.

"Hey…Thanks." He said quietly as his eyes remained towards the grimm continuing to march from their hole in the ground.

"Don't worry about it." I replied as we moved as a team to mop up the remaining creatures.

After more than a few minutes of what could only be described as slaughter, the grimm were no more as Professor Goodwitch and the other Beacon staff came to assist and patch up the hole in the ground.

"Oh I can't believe you caught me, you've really taught me the error of my ways." I heard a voice state sarcastically. "Hey, hey! Watch the hat!" I scoffed as Nick caught his breath with hands on his knees while Marie and Dree chatted in the square with several other students.

"What's the Black Bastard doing here?" Yang asked with crossed arms.

I let out a growl of frustration at the continued use of the derogatory terms and pulled Cerberus from the holster, dropped the empty magazine, put a fresh one in and yanked back on the slide before holstering it again. "Killing grimm, what the fuck do you think?"

"Really?" She replied in a sarcastic voice. "I could never tell. The blood kind of blends in with your armor."

I looked down and realized that during my time of fighting, my battle attire was darker than usual, stained with large patches of dried grimm blood. "Switching topics, when are we fighting?"

She shrugged back. "Thursday?"

"You seriously need two days to recover?" I quipped with a chuckle.

"Nope, just thought that a little guy like you might need it." Yang said with a trademark smirk.

"Tomorrow then." I declared. "Noon. Not before, not after."

An airship then landed in the middle of the square to take us back to the academy but I took a deep breath through my nose before climbing on. I grinned widely under my helmet.

"God damn, I love the smell of blood in the morning." The odour brought me ecstasy. It was the very smell of war, bloodshed, suffering, agony and pain. Everything I enjoyed in a single sensation. Some people drank coffee to wake up, others went for a morning jog, some went with morning sex with their partners but I much preferred bloodshed.

It was because of the activity going on this morning that I found myself in a much better mood than the last few months combined, so it must have come as a very big surprise to my teammates when I agreed to go into Vale with them to shop for school supplies the same day of the breach.

My bond with Nick also grew stronger when we trained that day and he admitted that he was less inclined to have me kicked out of Beacon and that I 'had my uses.' Feeling somewhat relieved, I was able to relax quite a bit more after the statement but still had to remind myself not to break anyone's limbs who didn't deserve it.

Of course the day after, I couldn't wait for noon to come. The time had finally come to test myself against Yang and put an end to the teasing.

After grabbing breakfast, I headed down to the locker room and retrieved my armor and weapons before making my way over to the armory to clean off the blood and check my weapons. Razrushitel's spiked end had been badly stained with the life of the grimm while Cerberus, aside from a minor issue with the sight, was perfectly fine. My armor on the other hand, could definitely use some work.

The back of my chest plate was scarred, the portion of my helmet that shielded my neck had several small dents that had been made when the creep had bitten into it and the greaves were also scratched to shit. But, considering that I only had about two more hours to prepare for the match, decided to leave the equipment as it was and grab an early lunch before gearing up.

As I awaited in the sparring arena, I began to grow restless. This always happened if I stayed in my suit of armor for too long and didn't face any opponents. My mind would get bored, my senses would dull over time and I couldn't stop pacing. Remembering that I had Yang's number on my scroll back in the locker room, I began heading there until a voice caught my attention from behind me.

"Kinda figured this'd happen."

Turning around, the blonde brawler in question stood on the opposite side dressed in normal attire with a smirk, gauntlets ready for combat and arms folded. "What would happen?" I inquired.

"That you'd chicken out." She grinned.

I let out a growl of anger and sent a glare in her direction through the slits in my great helm before taking my position on the opposing side. "This is where it ends, Xiao Long. That smug attitude is gonna go down along with you."

She began chuckling then the light laughs turned to huge guffaws of breathless mirth as she doubled over clutching her sides. "Oh man." She said, beginning to recover. "I can't wait to be known as the one who took down the Dark Douche."

"If you guys are done playing grab-ass, can we get on with it?!" A voice that belonged to my team leader shouted from the stands. I looked up and saw her along with Marie and Nick as well as the rest of Yang's team sitting in the stands with expressions ranging from mild interest to pure excitement.

"Call the countdown, sis?" Yang asked to which a voice quickly responded.

"Three!"

I rolled my shoulders and shifted my feet to a more alert stance.

"Two!"  
Yang cocked her gauntlets as a shell fell from both wrist-mounted weapons.

"One!"

I drew Cerberus, flipped off the safety and grabbed Razrushitel from the hooks around the small of my back, holding the massive weapon in my left hand with Cerberus in the other.

"Go!"

The instant the high-pitched voice said the word, both of us charged at the same second, meeting in the middle with a loud clash of metal upon metal. I had aimed a horizontal swing with Razrushitel to the stomach while my opponent attempted a straight jab to the head that I only just barely blocked in time as she parried my hit in the same moment.

Time seem to slow as we glared at one another, our faces no more than a few centimetres apart when she fired a round from her gauntlet into my face, forcing me to reel back from shock. Yang quickly crouched and moved to sweep out my feet from under me but seeing the blow coming, I leapt into the air and smashed the flail directly on top of her, missing as she rolled out of the way.

I fired two rounds from Cerberus into her stomach and the bullets hit their mark as Yang let out a corresponding amount of pained shouts. With a hidden grin, I charged forth again and aimed a downward hit with Razrushitel at her skull but she was just too damn fast and dodged out of the way again, punishing my failed attack by somehow sliding in between my legs and pounding my spine to the floor, forcing me to my stomach. Now angered, I let go of the flail, snapped Cerberus into knife form and rolled onto my back with a wild slash of the blade, which again, my opponent dodged but at least now I was back on my feet.

That was when shit kind of hit the fan in my opinion. On the floor between us lay something small and yellow. I took a quick glance to see that it had been a lock of Yang's hair that must've gotten cut off when I rolled over. She saw it too and her lilac eyes shifted to crimson red when she blinked.

"You're dead meat, Falsteen!" She screamed as a pillar of fire engulfed her figure and she charged. Aiming a right hook to my head, I batted the arm away with a solid forearm of my own but with this strike, there was much, much more resistance than with any opponent I'd previously faced. Even an ursa major didn't have that kind of strength. With my temporary confusion, she struck my chest with a hard left jab and I stumbled backwards. I quickly recovered as she fired two more rounds from her weapons and blitzed me with incredible speed, aiming both fists for my upper body. Somehow, and I don't know exactly how I did this, but dad must've helped me as once again, time slowed down and I crouched, raised both my attacker's arms with my left and hit her hard in the stomach, causing her to flip in mid-air and land on her back behind me. I spun around, stomped on her neck, which she parried by crossing her gauntlets under my foot and pushed against the limb.

Locked in yet another contest of pure strength, I put all my weight on her and she pushed back with equal power. Within a second, Yang looked right at my other foot, withdrew one hand from my foot and fired, making me face-plant onto the stone floor.

I attempted to roll over, but once I was on my back, Yang was directly on top of me with a menacing expression donning her face. She had my feet pinned down with her own and tried to punch me in the face but I grabbed both of her wrists and turned them outwards so that she couldn't fire.

It was a stalemate. Neither of us could get an advantage over the other, she had her semblance and I had my demigod strength. As we grappled and grunted, I decided to take a shot in the dark.

"You busy tonight?" I huffed out, straining against her superhuman might.

"What?"

"Thought I'd take you out to dinner and a movie."

Her eyes then shifted back to purple and the blaze disappeared from her hair, making me grin. I then finished the match with three strikes; the first was a head-butt that caused her to recoil in pain and surprise, draining the resistance from her arms as I pushed both away, hit her with a jab to the stomach followed by a downwards strike to her head, sounding a klaxon that indicated the depletion of her aura below the fifteen percent mark.

I stood up victorious but something about this win almost seemed… hollow. It felt like there was nothing I really gained from the fight.

"You're a real piece of shit, you know that?" Yang asked from her face-up position on the floor.

"Tell me something everyone else hasn't called me." I replied sarcastically as I unconsciously held out my armored hand for her to grab. She took it and once on her feet, glared into the slits of my helmet.

"It's gonna be somewhere expensive, I'll make sure of it."

"What?" I replied.

"You offered to take me to dinner, so ya better get your monkey suit on, Falsteen."

 _Shit_. _Didn't think she'd actually say yes._ I thought with a grunt. "Fine. Name the time."

"Six. Pick me up at my dorm and be prepared to pay top dollar." She declared as she strutted away towards the locker room.

"You're still on a short leash, so don't get any ideas, Darren!" Marie shouted from the stands.

I scoffed back, retrieved Cerberus and Razrushitel and headed back to the locker room to wash off all the sweat that had accumulated during the toughest fight of my life.


	9. Surprises

"Holy shit Darren, I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous before." Nick stated from behind a textbook as he lay on his bed.

I let out a snarl of disagreement and adjusted the tie on my black suit with a grey dress shirt, black pants and dark shoes. "I never get nervous. I'm pissed."

"Well if you don't want to go through with this, then just cancel."

"I can't." I replied.

"Don't want to break her heart?" He asked with no small amount of surprise.

"Don't want to get kicked out of Beacon." I explained. "I tell her I'm not going out with her and there's not a doubt in my mind that she'll fabricate a story to get me expelled."

"Ah." My partner exclaimed, returning to the study material in his hands. Taking one last look at myself in the mirror to make sure the attire was suitable, I grabbed my scroll and wallet and the money inside that was sure to be depleted by the end of the night if Yang had any say in the matter before heading over to her dorm.

 _What the fuck were you thinking, Diskaden? You should've just won the fight fairly. You know damn well that your strength far surpasses anyone alive on this planet._ I inwardly chastised myself. Soon, team RWBY's door was in front of me and I knocked only for Yang to open it within five seconds clad in the same dress she wore to the dance with the one exception being a pale yellow jacket to shield her from the coming fall winds.

Her face bore a pout and I grew inquisitive. "What?"

"And here I was expecting you to wear a pink suit." She declared, her pout turning to a grin.

"Yeah, real funny." I replied dryly. "Can we just get on with this?"

My blackmailer shrugged, took my arm in her own and proceeded down to the airship docks, winking at every person that we passed.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked exhaustedly.

"Meh, just trying to have a little fun." The blonde brawler declared. "That and trying to make you hate tonight as much as possible."

"Well, you're doing a damn good job." I snapped back as I quickened my pace and she had no choice but to follow suit, laughing quietly to herself as we boarded an airship and headed into town.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to kick back and relax once in a while." Yang said with the grin still plastered on her face.

I slowly turned my head to face her and scowled. "Of all the things in this world that can't kill me, I think that actually be the one that might."

She merely kept smiling and punched me on the shoulder, hard. I let the gesture go as we then landed and she guided me towards our restaurant for the evening.

Upon our arrival, I could only shake my head and frown as Yang burst out laughing.

"I'm glad you think this is funny."

"Aw, come on! It was hilarious! You didn't seriously take me for the kind of girl that likes the high-end, upper class stuff, did you?"

I said nothing as she once again linked her arm through my own and pulled me into the burger joint. We entered and I looked at the menu on the electronic board above the counter. The highest-price thing they had there was forty-lien.

"So you decided it'd be funny to get me all worked up about spending every last cent I had and then come **here**?" I asked, struggling to keep my anger under control as she continued to chuckle quietly.

With a nod, we proceeded to the counter and placed our order. "One barbeque burger, large fries and large people like grapes soda." I told the man behind the register who gave Yang and me a strange look most likely due to our attire before tapping a few buttons.

"And for you, miss?"

"Two monster burgs, three large fries and four waters." Both the attendant and myself could only look at Yang as if she'd grown a second head. With a neutral expression, she turned to me and shrugged. "The water cancels out the salt on the fries." She explained.

"Um… okay." He said with a quick shake of his head, totaling up Yang's rather large request. "That comes to eighty-four ninety-nine." I handed over the appropriate amount of money and we took our seats in a table against the wall, waiting for the food as we sat across from one another.

"You're never going to eat all that." I declared.

Yang smirked back and shrugged off her jacket, draping it over the chair. "Oh, you'd be surprised how much I can eat before puking."

"I sincerely doubt that." I replied apprehensively.

Time passed in silence and the food still wasn't ready, most likely due to Yang's rather lengthy order.

"So where'd you learn to hit like that?"

"My dad taught me quite a bit but I also learned a few moves from my uncle who's been in more than a few bar fights."

"What about your mom?" I inquired. "Don't most mothers teach their daughters how to defend themselves?"

Yang's smirk turned to an expression of what looked to be actual sadness as she sighed and turned her gaze to the table. "No. My mom was just…never around. I grew up with only my sister, dad and uncle."

I folded my arms over my chest. "Hmph. Think **you** had it tough?" Her eyes looked into mine. "I'm adopted. My birth parents abandoned me and my adopted piece-of -shit father quite literally threw me out of the house when I was thirteen. Ever since then, I've had to scrape by on my own, putting myself through Signal without any financial or emotional support from anyone."

Her eyebrows slowly rose as I retold my story and sent a glare her way. "So don't think for a second that you had a rough childhood, Xiao Long. Least you grew up with people who actually gave a damn about what happened to you. If I died when I was fifteen, no one would give a single fuck. My funeral probably would've been the cops tossing me in the morgue to be cremated."

"Holy shit." She whispered. "That's…wow. Didn't think you had any kind of reason as to why you were being an ass."

I chuckled without humor and threw my arms outwards. "Surprise."

A few seconds later, several employees came by carrying our orders and placed them on the table. With a nod of thanks from Yang, they departed and I immediately dug in.

"Now that that sob story's done with, let's eat!" I said with a mouthful of meat and barbecue sauce.

Her earlier demeanor now forgotten, Yang dug into her monstrous meal with vigor I'd never seen before. She bit down on the large burger that featured two meat patties, lettuce, pickles, ketchup and onions like it was a small cookie and consumed it within five minutes, only stopping to take a drink of water and a few fries. By the time I finished my one hamburger, she'd gone through two orders of fries, both burgers and three and a quarter bottles of water.

"How often do you eat like this?" I inquired, taking a handful of fries into my own mouth.

She shrugged back. "About three times a month."

I cocked an eyebrow and shot her a doubtful look. "How the hell do you not have a gut the size of a goliath?"

"It's cause I keep in shape, buddy boy." She declared, patting and flexing her bicep in example.

I shook my head in reply and finished the last of my meal as Yang's food quickly diminished shortly after. We then took the airship back to Vale and I walked her back to her dorm.

"You know, you're a tough one to understand, Yang."

"Yeah? How's that?"

"You constantly flip between angry and sarcastic, you eat like a pig but look like a supermodel and you get people all worked up because you think it's fun."

During my explanation, I'd almost failed to realize that the blonde in question had stopped in her tracks a few feet behind me. Turning around, I could see her eyes slightly widened and a wide smirk growing on her features. "What?" I asked.

"Sorry, I think I might've just heard something crazy." She said with a shake of her head. "Uh, what did you say?"

"You eat like a pig?" I repeated, confused.

"No, not that. What did you say after?" She asked, the smirk stretching across her entire face now.

"You get people worked up because you think it's fun?" I offered, to which she shook her head.

"Not that." Yang said with folded arms. "You, Darren Falsteen, said I looked like a supermodel. You actually complimented me."

My next breath nearly caught in my lungs as she pointed out that fact and I recalled my earlier slip-up. It wasn't something that I even consciously said; it just came right out of the blue.

Trying to maintain my composure, I merely shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

She shrugged back and proceeded back to her dorm. "Nothing. I just can't wait to tell the whole school how the guy who's known to be the biggest dick happens to have the hots for little ol' me." She called back.

I could only stand there, mortified at the fact that if she did what she claimed, my reputation would be completely tarnished.

"You've made a grave mistake Diskaden." Dad said, hovering alongside me as I walked back to my dorm.

"I know, father. But these people **will** bow under my rule." I vowed.

"Good." He paused.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

Out of my peripheral vision, I saw his red eyes go up and down like they did when he nodded. "Of course, my son. However, I must inform you that our timeline has changed drastically."

I stopped and gave him a curious look. "How drastically?" I whispered.

"So much so that the events that will lead to your rule will be coming very soon."

Dad's words made my blood run cold. I was supposed to be a fully trained huntsman with my strength at its summit when I faced the beast he would unleash took form and attacked. Knowing his power as King of the Dead and God of the Underworld, this unknown creature would surely decimate me if given the chance.

"I-I-I'm not ready!" I protested quietly.

"Then **be** ready!" He thundered back. "Train yourself harder and hone your skills until the time comes." Realizing I had no choice in the matter, I slowly nodded back with a sigh. "Excellent. Until we meet again, Prince of the Dead."

"Goodbye, father." I whispered back as the black smoke marking his presence faded away once again. With a sigh, I returned to the dorm, changed into my sleepwear and passed the night away with dreams of facing my nemesis plaguing my thoughts.

For the next week, I trained my body harder than ever, sparring against all three of my teammates at once, occasionally sneaking into the Emerald forest to practice using my semblance and getting my bone warriors to obey more complicated commands.

As a result of the preparation, both body and mind grew exhausted. Focusing in class began a difficult experience and I found trouble in staying awake during Port's long-winded lectures. Usually I was able to pay attention to every minute detail of his speeches but now it was very different. My eyelids slowly began to close until I caught myself at the last second and stifling back a few yawns also became a regular thing.

Oddly enough though, Yang seemed to be interested in my condition and stopped me in the hall as I was headed to the gym for another after-school workout.

"What is it, Xiao Long?" I asked tiredly.

Still dressed in her school uniform, she folded her arms over her chest and sent me a look of frustration mixed with slight concern. "What the hell are you doing?"

I raised an eyebrow and pointed to the duffle bag under my left arm. "Going to the gym, what's it look like?"

She shook her head in response. "No, you're doing more than that. Don't think that I haven't noticed you starting to nod off in class, Falsteen." She declared, that trademark smirk still not present on her features. "You're pushing yourself way too far and I know from experience that can kill."

I sighed back and tried pushing past her but she stopped me with a sharp jab to the chest, sending me to the ground.

Astonished at my lack of anticipation of the strike and my inability to block it, I could only lay there as my attacker gestured to me with a hand. "See, if you weren't so damn tired, you probably would've blocked that hit and sent one back twice as strong straight back at me, right?"

I gave a grunt and got back on my feet. "Why do you give a shit about what happens to the biggest asshole in the school?"

The blonde brawler shrugged back. "I guess it's because I believe everyone should relax every once in a while. I'll be at your dorm at five and don't worry about wearing a suit this time." She said, walking past me.

"Wait, what?!" I called back. She didn't answer and instead continued walking.

 _What is she scheming?_ I wondered, making my way down to the gym where I spent half an hour and the remainder of my strength for the day before showering and going back to my dorm where I gazed longingly at my bed wondering if I should have a nap but instead chose to study; a task that proved futile when my head hit the desk from lack of sleep.

I awoke with a start when a loud knocking at the door roused me from my dozing off. "Yo, anybody home?!" I heard Yang shout from the other side. I got up from the seat at my desk and opened the door.

"Yes, someone is home." I replied as she stood in the hall dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a yellow tank-top with a movie in one hand and a bag of microwave popcorn in the other. "What-what the hell is that?" I said, gesturing to the DVD.

"This is one of the greatest comedic films in history, something guaranteed to make anyone crack a smile. Even you." Yang replied, walking into the dorm as she searched the storage closet for something. "Where's your team?"

I shut the door and took a seat in my chair again with a tired breath. "Nick and Marie in Vale, probably on a date and Dree's… I have no idea where she is."

"I assume she's the leader?" Yang asked, still rummaging around in the closet with her back turned to me.

"Yeah. What are you looking for?"

"Projector. Found one in our dorm and JNPR's so I'm going off the assumption that everyone has one." And much to my surprise, after another minute of searching, she rolled one out on a small trolley and put in the movie after heating up the bag of popcorn in the dorm's kitchen.

"Why are you doing this?" I inquired again.

"Because, I think that everyone-"

"Should have the chance to relax, I know." I interrupted, shooting her an exhausted look. "But why for me of all people? I'm sure there's tons of other students going through the exact same thing as I am, so why don't you help them?"

The timer on the microwave went off and Yang quickly retrieved the buttery snack before lying in my bed as the movie began, her eyes glued to the wall while she replied. "It's because one of my friends did the exact same thing you're doing now and nearly destroyed herself in the process." She said in a serious tone. "While I'm sure others are going through this, you're taking it to the extreme and I can't just sit back and watch someone destroy themselves when I can help." She chuckled to herself. "I guess lil' sis is rubbing off on me."

Too tired to argue, I merely decided to go along with Yang's 'help' as she called it and watched the movie.

I will admit, there were more than a few times when I had to hold back a chuckle but the movie's finale caught me completely off guard and I just lost it. Clutching my stomach, I fell out of my chair as Yang laughed either with or at me, our mirth filling the air with a pleasant feeling I'd never experienced.

After recovering from the unusual outburst, I wiped away a tear of mirth from my eye and gave Yang a grateful smile. "Thank you. I really think I needed that."

She smirked back and threw her arms out. "Wow, a thank you from **the** Darren Falsteen. Talk about things that happen once in a blue moon."

I shook my head still smiling as she crumpled up the empty popcorn bag and threw it in the trash before heading out the door. "So you're going to take it a little bit easier, right?" She asked with her voice taking on that serious tone again.

I nodded. "I'll try." She returned the gesture and started back to her dorm before I called her name. "Would you… do you wanna…" _Why the fuck is this so hard?_ "Would you like to do this again sometime?"

She turned around with an amused expression. "Do what exactly?"

"Just hang out? Just the two of us?"

She held a hand over her mouth in a useless attempt to hide a laugh before replying. "Sure, just give me a text when you want to go out." My blonde rival said before turning on her heel and disappearing from my view.

 _Go out? As in… dating?_ I thought, leaning against the doorway. _I mean… I guess it can't exactly hurt._


	10. A New Man

As it turns out, I found that going out with Yang helped sooth my nerves and left me rejuvenated whenever I'd felt exhausted both mentally and physically from the constant studying and sparring. Two weeks and eight dates had passed since we'd first spent time alone together and honestly, I felt like a new man.

When Dree declared that we should stay out of the Vytal Festival tournament and leave it to the other teams, the me from a month ago would've shouted and argued all day long but instead, I merely gave a shrug and announced that it was no big deal. My partner also found himself with my help more often even when he didn't request it. I had helped him build his new weapon/ armor for which he was very grateful while Marie had started teasing me about my dates with Yang, something that I should've been angered at but instead laughed with her about.

With today being the beginning of the tournament, I watched and cheered as team RWBY fought valiantly against ABRN.

With a smile on her face, Yang fired round after round from her gauntlets at her opponent before closing in and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. That was something else that I guess made her attractive to me: her casual demeanour when it came to fighting. If anything it appeared that she enjoyed the fight just as much as I did rather than just about every other girl in the school who preferred to avoid any altercation and fight solely with ranged weapons rather than beating in their opponent's face.

With a final, colossal hit from Yang to the remaining three members of the opposing team, the match ended and I rose to my feet applauding and chanting the victorious team's name over and over as loud as possible.

With a small smile on my face, I exited the coliseum as the participants did the same and saw Yang heading towards the airships with her team. I grinned and sprinted forth with an arm cocked back for a hit to the spine.

"Surprise attack!" I shouted, making the blonde brawler quickly spin around, duck under the blow and flip me onto my back on the hard concrete.

With hands on her hips, Yang nodded towards her teammates as they continued to the waiting aircraft and shook her head at me with a smile.

"You know that it's never a surprise attack if you keep shouting it right before you do it right?"

I stood to my feet and shrugged. "Well how else am I supposed to keep you on your toes?" I replied.

Again, she shook her head and linked her hands behind my neck as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close, the memory of our first hug still engraved in my mind. I remember being cautious, confused and for some reason nervous but after a few seconds, relaxed and found myself smiling for the first time in a while.

This time was different as I found that when she was close, I felt at ease, focusing not on my father's expectations of me and his ominous words, but rather the scent of Yang's shampoo, the sound of her breath and the feel of her gorgeous golden locks, a privilege available to me and me only.

"You know, I still can't believe that we're a thing." She said from over my shoulder.

I let out a light chuckle. "Why's that?"

"I always thought that a guy like you would never even come close to a relationship and end up dying alone."

"Gee, thanks." I said sarcastically, pulling away from the embrace with a smirk.

"Anytime." She smirked back. After a few seconds of blankly staring at each other, her eyes slowly closed and she leaned forward. I smiled and followed suit before our lips met in the middle, sparking the air around us with affection previously unknown to myself.

I couldn't help but smile into the kiss, forcing us both to retract shortly after. "Even if it's hard to believe Yang, I'm still glad we're together."

She let out a chuckle and let her arms fall to her sides. "So am I."

"So your guys' next fight is tomorrow?" I inquired.

"Yeah. You gonna be in the stands?"

"You know it." I declared with a smile. She returned the gesture and I nodded over to her waiting teammates. "Go ahead and catch up with 'em. See you tomorrow night?"

"After the fight, sure." Yang replied with another smile, something else that I couldn't help but find attractive and borderline cute.

She left strode back on her original path leaving me grinning dumbly to myself. I spent the remainder of the day watching the rest of the matches but none caused my enthusiasm to spike like whenever my girlfriend fought.

Upon returning to my dorm for the night, I changed into my normal sleepwear but not before receiving odd looks from my teammates.

"What?"

Dree was the first to speak. "What's going on?"

"How do you mean?" I replied, confused beyond all recognition.

"I mean; what's going on? Darren, your personality has done a complete one-eighty in the past two weeks and I don't think it was just out of nowhere. Something's clearly happened so I repeat; what's going on?"

Marie and Nick nodded along with our team leader and I could only shrug back. "I can't really say. Maybe I just got tired of the way I was treating you guys?"

"Really?" My partner exclaimed doubtfully. "You didn't show any signs of stopping before we threatened to get you expelled."

"Yeah…sorry for that by the way." I addressed them all.

"Look guys, I think that even if it is unexplained, we should just be glad that he's not breaking any bones." Marie declared. "Let's just leave this for a later day and get to sleep."

With a nod of agreement from everyone, we crept into our individual beds and soon fell into the dream world.

As expected, Yang and her teammate won their fight but only by a sliver, the beautiful brawler decimating her other two opponents after activating her semblance with her teammate knocked out. With today being the finals, I watched from the edge of my seat as the randomizer continued its vertical rotation until landing on Yang and her opponent named Mercury. The battle was heated to say the least and I could tell my girlfriend was giving it all she had, repeatedly throwing punch after punch and recovering quickly as they were either blocked or dodged.

With a torrent of dust rounds flying around them, her opponent directed the shots onto her prone figure and during his smug walk away, I was almost certain I was the only one in the audience who knew what was coming. If that blow didn't take her out, it only fuelled her resolve to conquer her attacker. Sure enough, a pillar of flame burst outwards from the smoke and she charged, sending hit after hit towards him before finishing with a strike to the skull.

I rose to my feet and repeatedly chanted her name as loud as possible but what happened next caused me to freeze.

I saw the fighting platform descend, Yang walk past her defeated opponent who had regained his footing and stood. About a foot away from him, she suddenly spun around in the blink of an eye and shot him in the leg, sending him to the ground.

Several gasps and disapproving remarks surrounded me and that's when I sensed **it**. I had no idea what exactly 'it' was but the very feeling of it sent a chill down my spine. A very dark, corrupted energy far away that let loose a low growl, as if reacting to the negative emotions.

While my mind processed the terrible feeling, others continued their gawking at Yang's actions and I could only think one word.

 _Why?_


	11. Growing Defiance

The match that was originally scheduled for the one after Yang's was cancelled after the incident. The next day, I waited for the General of Atlas' military to finishing his questioning by leaning against the corner of the hallway by her dorm where two Atlesian Knights stood guard dressed in a black t-shirt and blue jeans.

 _I mean, she sometimes flies of the handle, yeah. But would she really cause such harm to a defeated opponent?_ I wrestled with these thoughts and more as a shout from the man resonated from the other side of the team's dorm and a few moments later, emerged and walked to the airship docks, guards in tow. It took me a few seconds to realize the General was gone and I moved to open her door but her little sister and other teammates walked out before I got the chance.

I knew that the SDC heiress and Blake didn't like me very much but thankfully, Ruby was more lenient towards me so it came as no surprise when the white-clad girl took one look at me and told me to be gone.

"Weiss, come on, he's just as worried for Yang as we are." The Schnee gave a huff of derision but backed down as the neighbouring door opened with a voice asking a concerned question.

"How's she doing?" Ruby explained her condition and I couldn't help but wince. It wasn't like Yang to be in such a demoralized state.

"You mind if I go in and talk to her?" I asked her sister. The little redhead gave me a concerned glance. "Look, this isn't a funny matter for her, you guys or me. So Ruby, please, I'm begging you, let me talk to her." This softened her expression somewhat and she gave a quick nod. I thanked her as she called Ms. Nikos' name and I entered the dorm, closed the door behind me and took a look at Yang.

She had slight bags under her eyes, indicating a lack of sleep most likely from the events of the previous night and they were slightly red from shed tears. I sighed and took a seat on the bed across from her.

"What do you think?" She asked quietly.

I took time to process the question and chose my next words carefully. "I want to know what happened but for that to happen, I need your input."

I heard her let out a shaky breath and take a minute to compose herself. "The match ended, I walked away from him and **he** attacked **me**." Yang's lilac eyes stared into my light brown ones and she spoke again. "So, what do you think?"

"What I **think** is that I saw you hit the guy in the leg while he was defeated." In response, I could start to see tears welling up in her eyes and quickly added my addition. "But if you say that he attacked you, then that's what I **know** happened." I learned that Yang was many things, a bit of a party girl, a fighter, a beautiful young woman but a liar was not among them.

She dipped her head slightly and wiped away the tears with a sniffle. "Hey, come here." I ordered calmly and much to my relief, she stood and made her way into my lap as she buried her face in the crook of my neck with my left arm around her waist.

"Why does everyone else doubt me?" She asked.

To that question, I had no answer. "I guess they just don't know you like me and your friends." As expected it did nothing to ease her tension as she didn't relax in my grasp. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No, I think I just wanna rest for today."

With a nod, I made to get up, but she pushed my shoulder down with a strong hand. "Just a little bit longer?" Again, I gave a nod of understanding and we lay on the bed, her head on my chest and my hand on her hip as I gently caressed her hair until she fell asleep. Quietly as I could, I slipped out of the room and made my way to my own dorm where I sat in my desk chair originally planning to study but the only way my focus went was to Yang and whether or not she would be okay.

"Hey, you good?" My partner's voice called. Upon entering, I completely didn't notice my teammates playing cards on Nick's bed.

I nodded back with a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm good." My expression faded and turned back around. "But... I don't think Yang is."

"Hey." A hand gently landed on my shoulder. "As long as you're there for her, I'm sure she'll be fine." Dree declared. "Just take a break from studying and go on a walk."

I chuckled lightly. "That an order?"

"Damn right."

With a small nod, I left the room and decided to kill time by just enjoying the remainder of the afternoon's sunshine and watching videos on a bench until the next match was called. It didn't feel right going to the coliseum if Yang wasn't there so I instead observed the fight on my scroll.

Pyrrha Nikos, the legendary champion versus Penny Polendina of Atlas. I started watching the fight with mild interest until once again, my focus fell away and I nearly missed my scroll suddenly turning red with an unfamiliar voice emanating from it. When my gaze quickly shifted back to my scroll, I witnessed Nikos' opponent divided into four parts with wires instead of veins spanning her body.

That was when I felt 'it' again, although this time much stronger. This time, not only did I receive a shiver down my spine but the feeling gave me goosebumps across my limbs and an emotion I hadn't felt since first meeting my dad; fear.

I had no time to dwell on the mysterious spirit as a monstrous roar echoed across the air. Looking to my left, I witnessed a beowolf leap out of a bullhead and several White Fang soldiers follow after. I pocketed my scroll and made a sprint for the five soldiers that landed, aiming a strike towards the foremost one. Unfortunately, they saw me coming and pinned me down with gunfire, forcing me to take cover behind a pillar in the courtyard. I called upon the sleepless dead and eight of the bone warriors began their assault, giving me time to summon my locker to me and strap on my suit of armor with my flail and handgun.

As the one remaining skeleton finished the last Fang soldier with a javelin to the heart, leaving him to bleed onto the stones, I dispelled the unholy fiend and placed my helmet over my head.

I, Diskaden, Prince of the Dead, would make sure that no Beacon Academy students joined my ranks as undead soldiers.


	12. The Second Meeting

A crushing downward strike of Razrushitel sent the beowolf's brain matter splattering across my armor while I fired four rounds from Cerberus at one of its compatriots. All rounds hit their required marks and the creature's body quickly began fading away.

I took a second to look around and could only worry. The grimm were getting worse and my mind wondered if Yang and my teammates were okay. I'd spoken to them both shortly after my first encounter and returned to combat.

"Isn't it magnificent?"

Dad floated next to me and his eyes glowed bright red, as if he was smiling. I shook my head in response. "The loss of life to this magnitude is far from magnificent, father."

"Diskaden," He started with a chuckle. "We've repeated this conversation many times over. In order for you to rise to the height of power, some **must** die."

I took a minute to digest his words and didn't reach the same conclusion. "No." I declared.

"What?" He inquired, astonished.

"I said no." I replied calmly. "People don't have to die. Just… just hurry up and unleash this creature so I can get this over with."

"Diskaden…" Hades' voice grew deeper and threatening. "Are you saying death is not in your nature?"

"Yes."

"YOU FOOL! Death is in your very name! You are my son, Prince of the Dead and you **will** follow my orders!"

I let out light, humourless laugh and gazed at Cerberus, the weapon I'd named after my father's guardian hound of hell as well as my left palm where his symbol was engraved in my skin. "I guess you're right Hades, I **am** a fool. I'm a fool for letting you coerce me into thinking that this mayhem would end with my rule. To you, I'm nothing more than a puppet and I refuse to use your abilities in ending this quarrel." I then let Cerberus leave my right hand's grasp and drop to the ground. "I will use my demigod strength and the weapon mother gave me alone." My gaze then returned to the two outraged red orbs. "You will have no hand in assisting me whatsoever."

"Then you will die with the rest." He announced as my left hand once again burned in pain while his shadow disappeared. I removed the armor covering the hand and saw that his symbol was gone.

However, my strength also began to slowly wane as the next few skirmishes became increasingly difficult. _This is his way of making sure I don't succeed._ I thought. With no ability from the King of the Dead, it was just myself and the power granted by Athena. I continued to cut down swaths of grimm and incapacitate the White Fang soldiers until I found myself close to the school cafeteria where I heard Yang shouting for her partner. My eyes looked right and there I saw Yang just outside the building while a man with bull horns protruding from his head looked down at his feet before unsheathing a sword and stabbing. The action received a cry of pain from someone and Yang to look into the structure where she shouted 'Get away from her!'

What happened next caused a flurry of emotions to come flooding forth. Her semblance activated and a blow that should've instantly killed the faunus man instead brought forth a flash of red followed by Yang falling to the ground with her arm several feet away from her, bringing me to my knees.

I felt sadness, shock, fear, disbelief but anger above all else. I rose as he whipped the sword to his right and a bit of blood to release from the blade as he made to finish her.

"DID YOU THINK IT WOULD BE SO EASY?!" I screamed at him. Instantly, his head spun in my direction and he smirked as I stomped forth. "You have no idea who you've just harmed."

"And who would that be, boy?" He quipped back.

"The person who allowed kindness, laughter and happiness to break my shell of anger and hatred. I'm a changed man because of her and you just dismembered her."

"Do you think I-" He got no further as Razrushitel swung towards his midsection and he made a panicked dodge. "Lieutenant!" He shouted.

I ignored the cry for help and continued to swing the lethal piece of metal around, each of which he dodged before slicing at my chest, an unexpected attack that connected but also left him closer to me. Taking advantage of his proximity, I grabbed his throat with my free left hand, raised him off the ground and squeezed, feeling the energy that protected him quickly fade.

"You never should've attacked Beacon." I growled. His only response was to choke something out while his eyes began to roll back in his head. I strengthened my grip and I thought I saw him smirk a second before I found out why. It turns out the cry for help earlier was answered by a massive faunus soldier with a chainsaw who gripped my skull and threw me backwards.

His stature almost matched my own, him being only a few inches taller. As his superior gasped for breath behind him, he advanced on my position and swung the saw horizontally as I aimed a kick at his shin. Both blows connected and I could feel my aura at an all time low.

"You never should've come to Beacon in the first place." The bull-man said as he regained his strength and footing. Now fighting two opponents at once, they attacked in tandem and whoever's blow I parried or dodged, the others' would hit, but my strikes were nothing short of colossal.

It was when they got smart and flanked me from both sides that I realized I was most likely reaching the end. Now when they struck together, both parties would hit and I would be vulnerable.

The other faunus man swung his saw downward and I blocked it with an armored forearm, the swift buzzing of the chains quickly eliminating my aura while with my flail, managed to wrap the chain around bull-man's blade, leaving him useless.

At least, I thought so until I heard a loud _bang_ and saw that his sheath was a rifle of sorts that had fired a bullet into the back of my knee, the other faunus capitalizing on the strike by delivering a strike to my face that left me on my back as a pure black shimmer encased my body, indicating the exhaustion of aura.

There I was, the almighty demigod Diskaden at the mercy of a couple of White Fang soldiers. The saw-wielder let loose a roar of anger and kicked me in the head so hard that my helmet flew off, leaving my head exposed to the air of the battlefield for the first time in history. All three of us were breathing hard as the red and black clad faunus stood over me and flipped his sword, aiming a downward thrust into my neck, a blow that even with my Aegis Skin, would kill me.

He released a murderous shout and the blade plunged downward, filling my vision with pure white. It was all I could see for several seconds until I looked up.

There I witnessed three thrones; the one on the right made of skulls, the one on the left of solid water and the final one in the center constructed from clouds.

Seated in the skull-throne was no one, but in the middle was a white-haired, bearded man wearing a pure white cloth wrapped around his waits and left arm while in his other was a staff that looked to be of pure lightning with an exhausted expression on his face.

The water-throne was occupied by another man with the same facial hair and hair color as the first but his ocean-blue cloth wrapped around his waist with both his hands on the arms of the throne and a scowl upon his face.

"He fought valiantly." The man on the cloud-throne announced, his voice booming across the air. Looking around, I could see I was actually standing on clouds, still clad in my armor save for my helmet. Before I could question them however, the second man interjected.

"He nearly took part in the scheme."

"But he didn't." A feminine voice declared from behind me. I turned around and saw a woman striding up next to me clad in clothing similar to the men with the exception being that her entire body save for her face and arms were covered. In her right hand was a spear and the left held a shield with a very odd symbol of a serpent that looked to be either eating or regurgitating a human with another person observing. "And that's truly what matters."

"Who are you all?" I inquired.

The man in the water-throne sent a scowl my way. "It matters not to the likes of you." He snarled.

"It has everything to do with him, Poseidon." The woman argued.

"Agreed." Sky-man declared with a nod. "I am Zeus, god of the skies. To my right is my brother, Poseidon, god of the seas and to your right is Athena."

My eyebrows shot up. "Athena… as in… my mother?" I asked, looking to the woman who smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Diskaden. I am your mother and I regret that we have to meet under these circumstances." She said.

"Am I dead?"

"No, however I wish you were." Poseidon snapped.

"Brother, we must take a look at the situation from further away rather than up close." Zeus argued, turning his gaze to me. "We've been observing you ever since our brother first made contact with you."

"Yes, and up until but a few moments ago, you were all too happy to go along with his plan to wipe us from the plain of existence." The water god declared.

"But, it looks like you **did** change your mind." Mom said. "Why did you defy him?"

I shrugged and looked to the brothers. "He was going let the ones I vowed to defend be killed. I couldn't stand by and watch it happen."

Zeus smiled while his brother scoffed and let his chin rest on his hand. "Then you truly may be the right candidate for our position." Athena declared happily.

"Position?" I echoed. "Wait, can you please explain what exactly is going on?"

"None of your concern." Poseidon repeated.

"It will become his if he accepts." Athena objected. "Diskaden, do you know why your power grows each year?"

I shrugged back. "It's because that as I grow stronger, so too do my abilities?"

Zeus shook his head with a frown. "No. It's because Hades increases his influence over you each year, feeding you the power you used to crave."

I opened my mouth to question further, but Poseidon cut me off. "Our brother gave someone else too much power at once and it did not turn in his favor. Those creatures you fight, the ones of 'grimm', a queen leads them. She used to be human until Hades convinced her that she was his wife and that she was entitled to immeasurable wealth and power. He gave her a portion of his strength, it corrupted her heart extremely quickly and she turned on Hades. Ever since then, he's been trying to find suitable children to clean up his mistake and you were the perfect target. Had you gone along with his scheme until the end, you would've become nothing more than a mindless, corrupt husk forced to obey every one of his commands even it meant certain death. You would've had no free will and no hopes of regaining it. How is it that he deceived you so easily?"

"Because he is the master of lies and deceit." Mom defended me.

I let out a hum of anger. This whole time, I'd been living I lie until I met Yang. She'd taught me how to laugh, be kind and live life. But that son of a bitch cut her arm off and I was going to make him pay dearly. "What is this position you keeping talking about?" I demanded, wanting to exact my revenge.

The three gods exchanged looks ranging from concerned to smug. "Well," Zeus started. "In order for us to see if you possess the will and strength to fulfill the prerequisites, you must undergo a certain…ritual."

I gave the sky god a confused look as he extended his free hand, palm facing me. "It will not be painless."

"What ritual, what is…AGH, FUCK!" I screamed, falling to my knees clutching my brain as a pain worse than any I'd previously experienced, worse than my father giving and removing his symbol from my hand, worse than seeing Yang being dismembered and definitely worse than getting kicked out of my house by my adopted father crept through my body and mind.

My vision flooded with darkness as I writhed around on the soft clouds and the gods remained quiet. After a few seconds, I could make out two figures in my mind, both of which looked exactly like me.

One looked to be the very epitome of holiness, clad in silver armor consisting of a pair of forearm guards, steel boots and a cuirass, bearing a large kite shield in the left hand that reached from my neck down to the shins while wielding a strangely-shaped pike that I recognized as a sparth, a long crescent-shaped blade with a point adorning the top with a grip halfway up the haft and butted with gleaming silver.

The other figure could only be described as demonic, clad in my usual pitch-black suit of armor excluding the helmet which revealed a face that featured black smoke instead of skin with flames playing the part of my eyes and mouth, both twisted in a maniacal state while it wielded a crude, serrated black blade dripping with red blood and my flail Razrushitel.

In the darkness, the figures stood several feet away from each other as my holy self maintained composed and the demon appeared to be restless, constantly moving about erratically and letting out more than a few bone-chilling cackles.

My demonic form began swinging Razrushitel, building momentum and rushed, aiming a downward strike that the silver-clad me swiftly dodged before retaliating with a shield-charge, knocking down its opponent before stabbing downward with the pike. The demon let the blow connect and most of the breath left my lungs, leaving me confused as I almost missed when it stabbed and twisted the knife into the side of my holy self's left leg, causing the pain to emanate from my correlating limb.

Whatever this was, it was awful to say the least. As the forms of myself fought, I could feel the pain of both as blow after blow connected. My light self appeared to be faster and just as strong while its opponent was tougher and slower, but equal in might. Relying on its right leg, my silver-clad form dropped the shield and ran forth with the pike held sideways in an attempt to push over the demon. Just as expected, the strike was blocked with the knife my other self was holding and it laughed, the flames on my face exploding as it leaned forth. Completely unphased at the horrific display and with a grunt of pain, my light self used its injured leg to sweep the menace of its feet and onto its back. Then, within the blink of an eye, the light version twirled the pike several times before bringing the blade down on my demonic self's neck, causing me to gasp for breath as the shadow-head rolled away from the torso as I fell into unconsciousness.

I woke wide-eyed and gasping for air with my mother standing over me, a concerned expression adorning her glorious features. I stood shakily and sent a glare towards the lightning god, who only smiled in reply.

"What. The hell. Was that?" I drawled out, still struggling to catch my breath.

He chuckled back as I saw Poseidon shake his head. "What you just witnessed, Diskaden was two parts of you, Justice and Corruption combat each other. Judging by the way you're speaking right now, Justice triumphed."

"That was the ritual Zeus spoke of before you passed out and shouted in agony unbefitting a god." His brother continued.

I was beyond confused as my mother placed a hand on my shoulder. "Son, hold out Razrushitel." She asked kindly.

Not realizing it had been brought with me and was draped around the hooks at my back, I obeyed and held both the handle and ball in either hand. Athena stepped in front of me, closed her eyes, began chanting in a language unknown to me and held her armaments forwards.

I could hear the sound of metal creaking and looked down to see the chain holding the ends of my flail together glowing brightly and vibrating. A few seconds later, it snapped, letting out a bright flash of white light along with it, forcing me to close my eyes.

Upon opening them, I saw the pike and shield Justice fought with on the ground. My own armor had also shifted to the same as well; the cuirass, arm guards and lightweight greaves attached to my body with jeans and t-shirt underneath.

"You've done it, Diskaden. You've broken the shackles Hades imposed upon you and you are now a fully fledged god."

"However, know that your power still does not come close to equalling ours and you may still be killed, weakling." Poseidon spat. I ignored him and tried picking up my new equipment, but the shattered into several hundred pieces and faded away. Alarmed, I looked to Athena who explained what happened.

"The shield and pike are now a part of you, one that you are free to call upon whenever you wish. You may call for one or both at the same time, they obey your order and yours only." I nodded back dumbly and decided to test the theory. All I had to do was think of the bladed weapon and it manifested in my right hand. I did the same with the shield and sure enough, it appeared, fully ready to protect my body. I let go of both and they shattered away once again.

I looked to Athena with a grin and she smiled back. "Now speaking of obeying orders, are we in agreement on this matter?" She addressed the godly brothers. Zeus was quick to nod while Poseidon appeared to be thinking things over in his mind before giving a slow bob of his skull.

"Diska-I'm sorry, Servator. We have would like to bestow upon you a very large responsibility. If you accept, know that you will be forever bound to Remnant and assigned its protection for eternity." Athena declared in a serious tone.

I was too busy trying to figure out why mom called me by that name to digest the remaining information. "Servator?" I inquired. "Does that mean I serve someone?"

"In a way." Zeus replied. "It comes from the same language as your previous name, only this one means Saviour, Preserver and Watcher. Your three duties assigned to you by us."

I nodded back at him and turned to mom. "What is the proposition you spoke of?"

She shot one last glance at Zeus and Poseidon before answering. "We offer you the position of Commander of the Legion of Light and Guardian of Remnant in order to combat Hades' other mistake on that world. If you deny, you will reside among us and the other gods of Olympus, unable to mettle in mortal affairs in any realm. I know it seems like a large burden but-"

"I'll do it."

"What?"

I turned to the god brothers with steely determination. "Poseidon, Watcher of the Waters, Zeus, Sovereign of the Skies and Athena, Woman of War, I accept your most gracious offer and vow to stand by the citizens of Remnant until the end of days."

Mom nodded back. "Very well. LEGION!" She called. From the floor of the clouds, fifty soldiers clad in various armor from basic cuirasses like mine to the body armor worn by the military's soldiers with weapons ranging from assault rifles to swords, pikes and axes rose and stood in ten rows of five.

"Son, this is Legion. They fifty of the greatest warriors mankind has ever produced and they are one mind, one being. If one is fighting an enemy and one tries to stab it in the back, as long as another part of it sees the flanking opponent, they will be able to fight two against one and **never** fall." She turned to the fifty men and women. "Legion! Who do you serve?!"

"Our commander!" The many voices shouted in unison.

"How long is your service?!"

"Eternity!"

"Who are your enemies and allies?!"

"The ones of our commander!"

She nodded back and turned again to me. "You now follow Servator, Guardian of Remnant."

"Hail Servator, our new commander!" They shouted with vigour.

Poseidon shook his head once more. "Know that I only agreed to this because they was no greater alternative, Servator. By the way, this whole duration we've been talking that time has stopped on Remnant and you've still to destroy the beast that Hades unleashed."

 _Oh my god, Yang._ I thought. _If I don't kill the bastard that tried to strike me down, he'll finish her._ "I would like to begin my duties now if you don't mind." I said to my fellow gods.

Mom nodded back with another smile. "Of course, but one last thing before you leave." She extended her hand wielding the spear once more and another blinding flash later, a silver, one shoulder, waist-length cape draped over my left shoulder appeared attached to the collar of my shirt with a symbol that I recognized as Omega with a ring of blue surrounding it.

"This is now your emblem, the same worn by every soldier in the Legion." I looked past her and realized she was right, every person in my ranks wore it on their armor, whether it was on the chest above the heart or over their bicep, they wore it. I quickly nodded back at her and in an instant, found myself back on Remnant with my new armor, weapons nowhere to be found with a blade slowly descending on my throat.

As soon as I rolled out of the way of the attack however, time resumed its normal pace and I stared down the wielder of the sword. The bull faunus who'd threatened my life and Yang's. He gave me a puzzled look, no doubt due to my sudden change in attire but quickly sliced horizontally and diagonally, intent on killing a god.

I was able to dodge the strikes easily and called my weapons to my side. The large shield blocked the next sword stroke and I sent a devastating kick his way, sending the man flying into a stone pillar. I moved towards him but his lieutenant caught me by surprise, swinging his saw horizontally into my back. I immediately felt the pain and realized that while I no longer had aura, I was much, much tougher to destroy.

I slammed the bottom point of my shield on the saw, causing the massive man hunch over as he lost control. Releasing my pike, I blocked the next mighty strike again with my shield before punching with a free right hand in the jaw, causing him to spin in a one-eighty. I made the shield fade away as well, kicked him in the back of the knee and as he fell, gripped his chin and skull, swiftly twisting his neck with a satisfying _snap_ before his body fell to the ground lifeless.

Manifesting the pike and shield once more, I turned to where I'd kicked the bull faunus but he was nowhere to be found, most likely retreating after I'd dealt with his second-in-command so quickly. Turning around, I noticed Blake crouched over her partner, attempting to hoist her up. I quickly ran over and gave assistance, the black-haired girl now clutching my girlfriend. Stepping back was the hardest thing I had to do, leaving Yang in such a vulnerable state as I remembered my true objective.

"Darren, what-what the hell was that? Adam was just about to kill you then you stood up dressed like that!"

I sighed and shook my head. "It's a long story and I'll tell you about it later but right now you have to get her and yourself to safety." She appeared hesitant but quickly ran off towards the airship docks. I let out a deep breath and a tear followed behind, dropping to the cement.

"What are your orders, commander?" A voice asked from behind me. I turned to see the face of a woman from the Legion holding an assault rifle with her forty-nine comrades directly behind, ready for battle.

"Right. Break up into twelve teams of four each, kill the creatures of grimm, incapacitate the White Fang soldiers but above all, keep the students safe. You two," I pointed to the woman who addressed me and a man with a greatsword strapped across his back. "With me."

Legion nodded in unison and evenly spread out across the grounds, following my orders to the letter, knocking out Fang soldiers while annihilating the creatures of shadow.

That's when I heard it. An incredibly loud screech emanating across the skies caused me to look up and I saw the beast that was most likely of my father's creation. A massive, dragon-like creature that dropped black balls spawning more grimm flying towards the clock tower serving as Ozpin's office.

I sprinted and Legion was directly on my heels, the two soldiers easily keeping pace as I discovered my new agility, leaping onto rooftops from the ground and running through all manner of obstacles. As I followed the immense creature, it clipped the large tower with a wing, destroying the very top part of the building. On top of a roof now, I turned to face Legion and the two faces looked back.

"This is a creature I have to kill on my own. I want both of you to go to the airship docks and make sure a girl named Yang stays safe. Do not leave her side under any circumstances, understood?"

"Are you sure, sire? We would be able to provide assistance-" They asked simultaneously.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" I bellowed back, to which they nodded and made for her location. Turning back around, I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes. I would destroy the creature of Hades not as Diskaden, Prince of the Dead, but Servator, Guardian of Remnant and Commander to the Legion of Light.

Using my supreme agility, I leapt from rooftop to rooftop until the tower was but a few feet away and I climbed, punching holes through the glass that served as footholds while I scaled the outside of the structure.

I finally made it to the top of the now destroyed tower and saw a woman clad in a short red dress with her back to me wielding a bow with an arrow drawn, ready to fire at whoever appeared to be in front of her. Wasting no time, I manifested my pike and threw it like a javelin, the odd build of the weapon obviously not meant for such a thing. It appeared to have the desired effect however as the woman let out a shout of surprise and her arrow went askew, into the sky.

I moved in front of the person I recognized as Pyrrha Nikos and made sure to protect both her and myself with my shield as I picked up my long spear. Her attacker regained her footing and sent a glare my way.

"Are you even aware of the power you fight?"

"Are you?" I quipped back. She merely scoffed and fired an arrow in the blink of an eye, shattering harmlessly upon colliding with my shield. She appeared surprised as I charged forth and delivered a shield bash that sent her flying off the side of the building. But it was my turn to be astonished as she appeared to be flying, flames spewing forth from her hands and she scowled and retreated into the distance.

An ear-piercing screech echoed across the air and I dispelled my armaments to see that the dragon-grimm was now flying full throttle towards the structure. Taking a few steps backwards and getting ready to sprint, Ms. Nikos shouted.

"No! It'll kill you!"

I shook my head. "It's my monster, my mess… my victory." I then ran as fast as I could towards the incoming beast and leapt off the edge of the building, heading directly towards the skull of the dragon.

I successfully landed on the head and immediately gripped my pike before delving it deep in the creature's flesh, using it to move downwards towards the eyes. it was tough to accomplish considering the speed at which it moved and the resulting amount of wind that nearly forced me off the beast, but I managed to descend to eye-level with the dragon and carved out it's three eyes with my bare hands, resulting in another screech, this one of agony as it began flying erratically. I quickly moved to the other side and tore out the red orbs that granted it sight, black blood staining my clothes and armor as well as the ground below as it screeched again and again.

The final blow came from when I stood on top of the skull and plunged my weapon so deep within the head that all that was visible was the silver butt of the pike. It quickly began disintegrating and I dispelled the weapon once more before leaping off and meeting with Legion who had fought off the White Fang and most of the grimm.

"We cannot fight forever, sir. Many more are coming." Legion advised as the soldier pointed towards a large black mass moving across the city.

In a unanimous agreement, myself, Legion, the military and the professors all left Beacon to the grimm as we regrouped in a safe zone outside the capital.

Everywhere I looked there was suffering. Parents crying about the unknown fates of their children, children wondering what happened to their parents with the Beacon Academy students in complete shock at the scale of the assault.

I tried searching for Yang as I ordered Legion to surround the safe zone and ensure it stayed that way but a hand on my shoulder from behind forced me to stop.

"Mr. Falsteen, I don't think you've been entirely truthful with us." The voice of Ms. Goodwitch declared. I spun around as Doctor Oobleck and her fellow Professor Port nodded in agreement.

I chuckled and shook my head. "No, I'm afraid I haven't." One rather lengthy chat later, the three of them could only nod.

"Well, that's quite the tale." Port said.

"A god amongst students…" Oobleck trailed off with a hand to his chin.

"While I don't entirely believe your story, Servator…" Goodwitch announced. "I do believe your actions. That grimm surely would've slaughtered us all had you not taken it down.

"It was no ordinary creature, as I explained before, this was a brainchild of the King of the Dead who gave immense power to **Her**." I emphasized the last word, referring to who the Professors informed me as Salem. "So how can I best stop her?"

Goodwitch sighed and shrugged back. "Professor Branwen is doing his best to track down the maidens." She declared in a hushed voice. "Other than that, I'm afraid all you can do for us is act independently."

I raised an inquisitive eyebrow as Port explained. "The best place for you to reside would be Vytal as it represents a place where all nations convene in times of peace. We would construct a residence for you and your soldiers would help us whenever we needed it."

I nodded and took my leave, still searching for the one I loved. But upon seeing her unconscious figure with no right arm, I couldn't bring myself to stay until she woke. There would be too much to explain, too much drama. I instead left the safe zone and with Legion at my back, made for Vytal.

The next several months were spent dispatching squads of Legion to different assignments, although four were always unaccounted for, attracting the attention of the professors whom I'd promised to help. I had to lie of course but I knew that Legion's four soldiers were always standing guard at Yang's home in Patch until she recovered, never leaving the home's exterior.

The building i was currently in was swiftly constructed by workers assigned by all four kingdoms, all of whom were uninformed as to just whom they were building it for. It was a two story brick house which held my bedroom/work office on the second floor and a kitchen, dining room and entryway on the first floor.

I was at my desk in front of the large glass window that faced south with my large bed that looked to be designed for royalty sat against the western wall when I received the news. It was a day like any other, one I had to spend most of opening letters of request from each kingdom's council requesting assistance, most of which I was unable to fulfill due to the fact that they were either simply not important enough or a thinly veiled attempt at asking for my allegiance. As the Professors had suggested, remaining neutral was to be my top priority.

I'd opened yet another letter, this one from Professor Branwen, the man I had come to know and trust as my most reliable informant in these times and two knocks resonated into the large room.

"Come in." I glanced up at the visitor, curious as to just who Legion would let in to see one of the many beings, this one being a man with a standard military ballistic shield on his back and 44. magnum revolver on his hip.

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Legion." I returned to the letter which read; _Hey S, getting a feeling that A and Her might be moving on Haven next-_

"I'd ask if you'd like to go hunting grimm, but you like you're having so much fun now." The man stated with a sarcastic voice and smirk.

I shook my head and chuckled back in reply. It was good to have Legion under my command since I'd learned he/she/it/they had a sense of humor. "Yeah, opening letters and sending them back with refusals is so much fun. Wanna' have a go at it?" I replied, my eyes continuing to scan the paper in my hand. _Gotta follow R, make sure she gets there okay-_

"Wow, that's such an honor, but we would much rather leave it in your hands." Legion replied with a laugh.

 _As you know, grimm are getting worse across the world as well as bandits-_ "Something you wanted to say?" I inquired to my warriors.

"Yes, we've just been told that miss Xiao Long has departed from her home in Patch."

At that, my full attention was directed to the soldier in front of me. "What? Where's she going?"

"Her father believes either after her sister or mother." I paused and quickly returned to the letter, remembering that Qrow said Ruby was heading towards the eastern Academy. _Speaking of, RB might have fall back so I need your help in getting them safely there. Q_

 _Oh shit._ I thought. _If Raven has a hold of Spring, then she might use her as a bargaining chip to ensure her tribe's safety against Salem's grimm._ I let loose a shout of rage and slammed my fist into my desk, breaking the oak clean in half as I got up from my chair and pushed past Legion.

"Your orders, commander?"

"Pull back from all unnecessary assignments and meet me in Mistral right fucking **now**! If this many powers are moving east, there's no doubt in my mind something's going to happen."

"Does a necessary assignment include the security of the Xiao Long residence?" He inquired, quickly catching up to me.

"No, Tai's a fully trained hunstman, he can take care of himself."

 _Better be ready for war against The Guardian, Salem._

(There it is, another Fanfic complete. I probably could've ended this one a little better but nevertheless, i hope you guys enjoyed it and please leave a review.

Yours truly, Vanguard523)


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